JOHNA.SEAVERNS 


THE  CAPE  HORSE 

I      Its  Origin,  Breeding  and  Development 


in  the 


UNION  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


A  THESIS 

Presented  to  the  Faculty  of  the  Graduate  School 

OF  Cornell  University  for  the  degree  of 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


Peeter  Juriaan  van  der  Heyde  Schreuder  B.  a.   (Cape) 
Standerton,  Transvaal,  U.  S.  A. 


VM8A9  FcMiiy  Lilvary  of  Vetemiary  Macllc^ 

Ounmingit  $dhooi  of  Veterinafy  Medteine  srt 

Tufts  Univeraty 


TUFTS   UNIVERSITY   LiBRAHiES 


y  y  3  9090  014  665  034 

THE  CAPE  HORSE 


J7       *  i^m 

Its  Origin,  Breeding  ana  Development 

in  the  -^   .       .  ■    ^kl 

UNION  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


A  THESIS 

Presented  to  the  Faculty  of  the  Graduate  Schooi 

OF  Cornell  University  for  the  degree  of 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


Pieter  Juriaan  van  der  Heyde  Schreuder  B.  a.    (Cape) 
Standerton,  Transvaal,  U.  S.  A. 


^-  "v.       .    \'* 


• 


The  Author  wishes  to  express  his  indebtedness  to  Professor 
Merritt  W.  Harper  of  the  Animal  Husbandry  Department  in  the 
New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture  at  Cornell  University  and 
to  Professor  Dr.  Arthur  Golf,  Professor  of  "Koloniale  Viehzucht 
Landwirtschaftliche  Institut  an  der  Universitat  zu  Leipzig." 


CONTENTS. 

The  Cape  Horse,  Its  Origin,  Breeding  and  Development  in  the 
Union  of  South  Africa. 


Chapter  I. 

History  op  Horse  Breeding  in  South  Africa 

(a)  Its  Origin. 

(b)  Its  Development. 

(c)  Its  Decline. 
(b)   Present  Time. 


Chapter  II. 
Methods  of  Breeding  and  Management 


Chapter  III. 
The  Cape  Horse 

(a)  Its  Characteristics. 

(b)  On  the  Race  Course. 

(c)  Its  Diseases. 

(d)  Distribution. 


Chapter  TV. 
Various  Types  of  the  Cape  Horse 

(a)  In  the  Four  Provinces. 

(b)  The  Basuto  Pony  and  Namaqua  Pony. 

(c)  What  Type  to  Breed. 

Chapter  V. 

The  Economical  Status  of  the  Horse  in  South  African 
Farming 

Conclusions 


INTRODUCTION 

The  horse  is  the  aristocrat  of  the  Animal  Kingdom,  He  traces 
his  ancestry  not  only  to  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era  but  far 
back  to  prehistoric  times — his  genealogical  tree  is  writ  large  and 
clear  on  the  sands  of  Time. 

He  has  been  man's  best  friend  from  the  beginning  of  his  ex- 
istence and  still  claims  his  best  affections  and  attentions  to-day. 

All  history  profane  and  sacred  attests  the  solicitude  of  man- 
kind for  breeding,  rearing  and  possession  of  the  horse.  He  is  en- 
deared to  man  from  infancy — the  child  has  his  rocking  horse  and 
he  advances  to  the  proud  possession  of  his  pony,  hunter  and  pair. 

He  has  been  identified  with  almost  all  that  relates  to  human 
life.  To  study  his  origin,  breeding,  management  and  improvement 
is  most  profitable,  important  and  pleasant. 

The  horse  is  to-day  the  foundation  on  which  rests  the  agri- 
cultural wealth  of  the  greatest  nations  of  the  world. 

In  the  life  of  the  South  African  people  the  horse  has  played  a 
great  part. 

He  was  the  first  domestic  animal  imported  to  the  southern 
shores  of  the  dark  eontinent  by  the  white  man  and  both  were  new 
comers.     The  history  of  both  tlierefore  is  very  intimately  linked. 

It  was  in  the  Autumn  (April)  of  1652  that  two  small  fleets  of 
sailing  vessels  from  the  East  and  the  West  crossed  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  The  one  from  the  West  brought  the  white  man  and  western 
civilization  and  the  one  from  the  East,  horses  from  the  Orient. 

Since  that  date  horse  breeding  has  become  one  of  the  develop- 
ing factors  of  the  new  country.  The  stock  was  improved  by  fresh 
importations  from  the  Orient  and  England,  and  it  developed  to 
great  efficiency  and  fame  towards  the  middle  of  last  century,  when 
a  rapid  decline  set  in.  culminating  in  the  disasters  of  the  Anglo- 
Boer  war  of  1899-1902. 

According  to  historical  secpience,  new  eras  generally  follow 
radical  changes  and  disasters.  After  the  war  Briton  and  Boer 
settled  down  to  rebuild  and  reconstruct  what  they  had  destroyed 
in  a  foolish  war.     The  supposed  barriers  to  progress  and  unity  were 

4 


battered  down.  The  erstwliile  arenas  of  dissension,  destructive 
wars  and  commercialism  were  united  into  the  Union  of  South 
Africa  in  1910. 

In  the  wake  of  the  changes  brought  about  by  the  war  followed 
new  ideas  and  enterprises.  There  was  a  great  back-to-the-land 
movement.  The  magic  spell  cast  over  the  people  by  the  world's 
richest  gold  and  diamond  mines  was  broken,  and  the  wealth  of  the 
upper  inches  of  a  rich  and  productive  soil  and  all  its  possibilities 
was  realized  with  a  new  zest. 

Certain  of  the  pastoral  industries  commanded  the  world's 
markets  while  others  needed  more  attention,  and  one  at  least  re- 
puired  almost  total  rehabilitation,  that  is  horse  breeding. 

In  order  to  do  this  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  past  history  of 
the  industry  and  breed  is  essential. 

To  add  to  this  knowledge  is  the  purpose  of  this  thesis.  The 
subject  is  perhaps  beyond  the  scope  of  a  work  of  this  kind,  but  any 
attempt  to  know  more  about  an  industry  which  has  once  been  a 
source  of  great  national  wealth  but  has  been  partly  destroyed 
through  various  causes,  would  undoubtedly  be  of  great  help  in  the 
reconstruction  of  this  branch  of  our  farming. 

Since  the  war  South  Africa  and  especially  the  Union  has 
entered  into  a  new  era  of  progress  and  prosperity,  and  to  expand 
and  solidify  this  every  branch  of  farming  industry  must  be  placed 
on  sure  and  efficient  foundations,  and  no  foundation  is  worth  more 
attention,  care  and  intelligence  than  our  horse  stock. 

In  this  thesis  prominence  has  been  given  to  some  of  the  best 
authorities  on  the  question.  Following  the  great  historical  fact 
that  similar  causes  will  have  similar  effects  we  can  take  many  valu- 
able lessons  from  the  past  to  guide  us  in  the  reconstruction  work 
of  the  future,  bearing  in  mind  that  what  has  been  done  in  the  past 
can  be  done  again. 

This  monograph  is  by  no  means  an  exhaustive  work,  and  aims 
at  nothing  more  than  an  honest  and  first  attempt  to  collect  between 
two  covers  some  of  the  large  amount  of  scattered  material  on  a  sub- 
ject which  deserves  better  attention  in  the  ever-expanding  pastoral 
and  agricultural  activity  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa  even  of  the 
Continent  of  Africa. 

Yonder  in  the  dusk  lies  the  twilight  Continent  of  Africa ;  for 
ages  she  has  been  claimed  by  selfishness,  commercialism  and  barbar- 


ism.  Christianity,  commerce  and  civilization  dispute  this  claim. 
Will  it  be  the  twilight  of  sunset  or  sunrise  ?  Much  depends  on  the 
progress  and  advancement  of  Southern  Africa  with  her  boundless 
possibilities  linking  up  the  continent  with  her  great  schemes  of  rail- 
way extension. 

The  enterprise  of  the  British,  the  tenacity  of  the  Dutch  with 
the  refining  influence  of  their  French  and  methodical  business  habits 
of  their  Teutonic  ancestors  act  and  react  upon  one  another  and  will 
ultimately  produce  a  race  and  country  second  to  none.     (Fuller). 

Not  only  South  Africa  but  all  Africa  with  its  wonderful  re- 
sources is  a  country  of  the  future. 

P.  J.  V.  D.  H.  SCHREUDER. 

Cosmopolitan  Club, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y., 

23rd  March,  1915. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTORY  OP  HORSE  BREEDING  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA 
(a)    ITS  ORIGIN. 


"There  is  always  something  new  from  Lihija  (Africa)." — Aristotle. 


In  most  of  the  great  works  on  the  horse,  the  Cape  Horse  has 
briefly  been  alluded  to  as  possessing  a  strong  strain  of  Oriental 
blood  into  which  Spanish  blood  and  later  English  blood  has  been  in- 
fused; that  he  possessed  great  stamina,  hardness  and  endurance, 
but  was  lacking  in  size,  conformity  and  beauty/ 

Experts  and  great  breeders  at  home  are  agreed  that  the  Cape 
Horse  reached  its  highest  point  of  development  and  efficiency 
toward  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  but  that  since  then  a  gradual 
decline  has  set  in  and  the  good  quality  of  the  stock  has  deteriorated. 

The  Cape  Horse  in  the  palmy  days  of  its  existence  and  to  a 
very  limited  extent  to-day  shows  very  distinctive  elements  and  char- 
acteristics in  its  inheritance.  These  heriditary  qualities  have  never 
been  traced  satisfactorily,  and  in  rehabilitating  our  horse  stock  too 
little  attention  has  been  paid  to  this  very  important  factor,  and  in 
the  attempt  to  reform  to  the  old  efficient' and  very  excellent  type  and 
to  regain  the  reputation  and  high  standard  of  half  a  century  ago, 
the  deteriorated  stock  has  been  harmed  to  a  further  extent  by  un- 
intelligent cross  breeding  and  bad  selection. 

A  knowledge,  therefore,  of  the  Cape  Horse 's  lineage  and  of  the 
several  strains  that  united  in  producing  the  best  type  is  indispens 
ible  and  a  first  necessity. 

It  would  not  be  necessary  perhaps  to  go  into  much  detail  on  the 
original  stock  from  which,  it  is  contended,  the  Cape  Horse  sprung ; 
but  it  would  be  well  to  make  use  of  such  facts  and  conjectures,  taken 
from  the  vast  domain  of  research,  as  would  throw  light  on  a  sub- 
ject that  is  as  yet  comparatively  obscure. 

(1)   Sir  Humphrey  de  Trafford  "The  Horse  of  the  Briiish  Empire."     London 
1908. 
Graf  E.  von  Wrangel  "Die  Easseii  des  Pferdes."     Stuttgart  1908. 


The  general  accepted  theory  among  the  writers  on  the  horse 
is  that  North  Africa  may  be  considered  as  the  home  of  the  first 
warm-blooded  type  of  horse — the  ancestor  of  the  modern  light 
horse.^ 

Prof.  Ridgeway  holds  that,  "North  Africa,  if  not  the  birth- 
place is  at  least  the  cradle  of  the  race  which  has  been  most  con- 
cerned in  the  making  of  Arabs  and  Barbs,  and  through  them  of  the 
Thoroughbred.  This  race  was  the  only  variety  of  horse  that 
roamed  over  the  plains  of  Libya,  in  the  remote  epochs  ;  it  was  fleeter 
and  more  docile  and  altogether  better  adapted  for  riding  purposes 
than  any  horses  evolved  in  the  plains  of  Europe  and  Asia.  These 
were  coarse,  thick-set,  dun  and  white  colored  horses,  and  in  course  of 
time,  by  blending  these  with  the  light  and  fleet-footed  Libyan  the 
various  improved  breeds  of  light  and  heavy  horses  now  in  existence 
were  produced.^ 

The  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture  in  discussing  the  two 
great  breeds  of  horses  remarks  that:  "Another  distinct  type  seems 
to  have  existed  in  the  South  and  later  became  the  foundation  stock 
of  the  beautiful  horses  of  Persia,  Arabia  and  Barbery  States  of 
North  Africa.  It  now  seems  probable  that  it  is  principally  to  this 
form  that  we  must  look  for  the  original  stock  of  the  modern  Thor- 
oughbred, Saddle  Horse  and  other  races  of  speed  horses.  This  an- 
cient stock  so  fruitful  in  ultimate  results  as  exhibited  by  these  high- 
ly improved  blood  horses  probably  had  its  origin  in  the  dry  desert 
regions  of  North  Africa." 

Von  Nathusius*  places  the  North  African  horses  as  an  under- 
group  of  the  Arabs  and  Persians ;  but  the  grouping  applies  to  the 
modern  area;  for  Ridgeway  has  proved  beyond  doubt  that  the 
Libyan  tribes  possessed  a  most  notable  breed  of  horses  many  cen- 
turies before  the  Arabs,  Persians  or  Turks  ever  owned  a  horse. 

Most  continental  writers  are  unanimous  in  dividing  all  breeds 
of  horses  into  two  groups:  the  warm-blooded  (Abendlandische, 
Oriental),  and  the  cold-blooded  (Morgenlandische,  Heavy  horses).^ 

(2)  B.  LydeTcTcer  "The  Horse  and  Its  Belatives."     1912. 

Sir  W.  H.  Flower  "The  Horse."     1910. 

(3)  William  Ridgeway  "The  Origin  and  Development  of  the  Thoroughbred 

Horse. ' '     1905. 

(4)  Herman  Von  Nathusius  "Vortrage  uber  Viehzucht  und  Bassenl-enntnisse." 

1891. 

(5)  Simon   Von   Nathusius   "  TJnterschiede  zwisschen  der   Morgen-und  Abend- 

landische Pferdegruppen."    1891. 
Wilhelm  Bolsche  ' '  Das  Fferd  und  Seine  Geschichte. ' '     1888. 


The  warm-blooded  group  is  characterized  by  "extreme  refinement, 
breediness,  beauty  of  form  and  intelligence,  speed,  stamnia,  grace  of 
movement  and  an  active  nervous  temperament ;  contrasting  with 
these  are  the  characteristics  of  the  cold-blooded  group ;  great  scale 
and  grossness,  slow  awkward  movement,  sluggish  lymphatic  temper- 
ament, black  and  dun  color,  and  much  development  of  hair." 

From  the  investigations  of  Prof.  Ridgeway  it  is  largely  to  be 
deduced  that  "the  Libyan  horse  flourished  before  the  end  of  the 
second  millennium,  B.  C.  They  were  superior  in  speed  to  other 
known  breeds  of  Europe  and  Asia  and  were  distinguished  by  their 
bay  color,  and  star  in  the  fore-head,  which  is  the  characteristic  of 
the  Libyan  to  this  day."  The  highest  pedigree  of  the  Arab  is  still 
to-day  traced  to  the  Keheilet  Ajuz  family  as  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  five  foundation  families  of  the  Arab  stock  and  generally  this 
strain  of  Arabs  are  of  a  bay  color,  "The  swiftest  horse  known  in 
Homeric  days  was  a  bay  with  a  star  in  the  fore-head.  In  Greek 
classical  days  the  dark  horses  of  Lybia  were  the  swiftest  known  and 
they  also  bore  the  palm  of  victory  from  all  others  in  the  Roman 
circus  in  the  first  century  or  our  era."  According  to  Ridgeway 
the  Arabs.  Barbs  and  Persian  breeds  owe  their  origin  to  this  light, 
fleet-footed  bay  horse  of  Libya.  As  is  generally  known  the  Eng- 
lish thoroughbred  has  been  developed  from  one  or  from  all  of  these 
breeds  and  present  day  runners  and  breeders  of  note  still  trace  their 
pedigree  to  these  great  founders  of  the  thoroughbred  stock.  The 
Oriental  horses  imported  to  England  which  more  than  any  other 
have  contributed  in  establishing  the  Thoroughbred  are :  the  Byerly 
Turk,  (1689)  bay,  the  Darley  Arabian,  (1700)  bay,  the  Godolphin 
Barb,  (1730)  bay,  and  with  them  are  generally  reckoned  as  the 
ultima  thule  of  racing  pedigree  their  great  and  illustrous  sons 
Herod,  (1758)  bay.  Eclipse,  (1764)  chestnut,  Matcham  (1748),  bay, 
respectively."  The  three  great  ancestors  were  all  bays  and  fourteen 
hands  or  less  than  fourteen  hands  high ;'  although  their  famous  sons 
of  half  a  century  later  stood  much  higher.  These  stallions  and 
their  progeny  were  crossed  with  mares  of  various  breeds  and  colors, 
yet  it  is  remarkable  and  a  fact  of  great  value  how  the  bay  color  be- 
came stamped  upon  most  horses  of  note.  Within  a  century  and  a 
half  the  bay  horse  had  ousted  in  all  the  great  tests  almost  every 

(6)  General  Stud  Book,  Vol.  I,  London  1808. 

(7)  Sir  Walter  Gilbey  "Small  Horses  in  Warfare."    1906. 


other  color  and  towards  the  end  of  the  last  century  it  was  the  pre- 
dominant color  amongst  the  great  winners  and  breeders.® 

From  statistics  we  gather  that  during  the  last  thirty  years 
(1836-1866)  the  colors  of  the  winners  at  the  Derby  and  St.  Leger 
were : 

Derby 7  chestnuts,  7  brown,  and  16  Bays 

St.  Leger ....  5  chestnuts,  7  brown,  and  17  Bays 

It  is  furtlier  found  that  from  the  winners  of  the  Derby,  St. 
Leger,  and  Oaks,  between  the  years  1870-99,  the  number  of  greys 
has  disappeared  altogether  and  that  the  number  of  blacks  as  well 
as  the  browns  and  chestnut  browns  is  strongly  on  the  wane. 

"We  find  thus  that  the  increase  of  speed  is  gradually  render- 
ing the  English  Thoroughbred  a  purely  bay  stock  and  as  from  the 
earliest  times  of  which  we  have  any  record  the  Libyan  horse  has 
been  not  only  the  swiftest  horse  known  but  also  of  a  bay  color,  we 
are  justified  in  concluding  that  his  bay  color  is  as  fundamental  a 
characteristic  as  his  speed,  endurance,  hardiness  and  docility,  and 
that  it  is  due  not  to  artificial  selection  but  to  natural  specilization. '  '^ 

This  reversion  to  the  bay  color  of  the  stock  bred  from  Oriental 
sires  is  bearing  out  the  all  important  fact  that  horses  like  other 
animals  and  like  birds  will  transmit  their  distinctive  colors  which 
will  remain  constant  from  generation  to  generation.^"  In  cross 
breeding  we  know  that  ceteris  paribus  the  individual  potency  and 
characteristics  of  the  nobler  parent  of  more  fixed  type  will  be 
strongest  in  the  transmission  of  these  elements.^^  According  to 
Davenport  "that  parent  will  be  prepotent  whose  heredity  sub- 
stance is  least  mixed  and  therefore  most  intensified  along  the  line 
of  established  characters.''^-  The  relative  significance  of  this  fact 
as  applied  to  the  Thoroughbred  stock  where  parents  on  the  paternal 
side  were  of  nobler  breed  is  self-evident. 

The  original  wild  horse  was  without  a  doubt  of  a  "fixed  color." 
The  only  existing  wild  horse,  the  Prejvalsky's,  is  a  bay.  This  con- 
firms the  views  of  those  who  maintain  that  bay  was  the  original 
color  of  the  horse  and  according  to  Ridgeway  the  color  of  the  orig- 
inal race  of  liglit  horses.     Several  of  the  greatest  authorities  on 

(8)  Sir  Walter  Gilbey  "Horses — Breeding  to  Colour-"     1907. 

(9)  William  Ridgeway  "The  Origin  of  the  Thoroughbred  Horse."     1905. 

(10)  Graf  George  Lehndorf  " Handhuch  fiir  Pferdesilchter."     1908. 

(11)  Charles  Darwin  "Origin  of  Species." 

(12)  E.  Davenport  "Principles  of  Breeding."     1907. 

10 


tUe  horse  have  expressed  similar  views  on  the  color  question.  Hurst 
holds  that  there  is  sufficient  evidence  to  suggest  that  in  certain 
strains  there  may  be  a  partial  coupling  of  coat  color  and  racing 
power.  It  is  instanced  that  the  chestnut  grand-children  of  the 
famous  St.  Simon  have  proved  themselves  inferior  in  racing  power 
to  their  bay  and  brown  brothers  and  sisters."  It  is  also  interest- 
ing to  note  that  there  is  a  strong  tendency  for  the  off-spring  of 
cross-breds  to  be  chestnut.  "In  the  case  of  Thoroughbreds,"  says 
Bunsow,  ' '  bays  and  browns  may  be  either  pure  as  regards  the  power 
of  transmitting  their  color  to  their  off -spring  or  impure  when  they 
may  give  rise  to  chestnuts.^* 

In  the  horse  breeding  of  Arabia  to-day  the  bays  are  easy  favor- 
ites and  firsts.  Blunt  says  that,  "out  of  a  hundred  mares  among 
the  Amezah  one  would  see  35  bays,  30  greys,  15  chestnuts,  and  the 
rest  brown  or  black  or  two  or  three  with  white  feet  and  a  snipe  or 
blaze  down  the  face  ******  with  very  few  exceptions  all  the 
handsomest  mares  v/e  saw  w^ere  bay  which  is  without  doubt  by  far 
the  best  color  in  Arabia,  as  it  is  in  England.  In  choosing  I  should 
take  none  but  bays  and  if  possible  bays  with  black-points. '  '^° 

Had  this  description  been  of  a  high  class  South  African  stud 
of  horses  it  could  not  have  been  more  true  not  even  had  he  ex- 
pounded on  their  merits  and  good  qualities  for  I  shall  have  oppor- 
tunity to  show  that  the  Cape  Horse  in  competition  with  his  Arab 
and  Persian  and  even  Thoroughbred  brothers  in  a  county  foreign 
to  all  of  them  easily  held  his  own ;   in  fact  quite  outstripped  them. 

With  these  remarks  and  by  branching  off  into  the  field  of  re- 
search we  return  from  the  desert  regions  of  North  Africa  to  its  sunny 
south  to  trace  there  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  the  Libyan 
horse  as  exhibited  in  its  descendents.  I  allude  of  course  to  the  Cape 
Horse  which  developed  to  great  fame  during  the  middle  of  the  last 
century. 

As  will  be  shown  in  the  further  development  of  this  chapter, 
the  first  importations  of  horses  to  South  Africa  were  from  Java  and 
Persia.  The  descendents  of  these  like  the  English  Thoroughbred 
show  in  a  very  marked  degree  that  the  most  prominent  inherited 
qualities  and  characteristics  were  according  to  the  best  accounts, 
those  that  characterized  the  Libyan  race  of  North  Africa. 

(13)  C.  C.  Hurst  "Eoyal  Society  of  London."     1905. 

(14)  B.  Bunson  "The  Mendel  Journal  No.  2,  1911.  London- 

(15)  Sir  Wilfred  S.  Blunt  "The  Bedouin  Tribes  of  the  Euphrates."     1905. 

11 


From  a  report/'"  in  1845  by  Lt.  Colonel  Richardson  who  bougjit 
remounts  in  South  Africa  for  the  Indian  Army  we  find  that  among 
a  batch  of  266  horses  the  colors  were  the  following:  147  bays,  46 
brown,  32  chestnuts,  19  greys,  14  dark-grey,  7  black,  1  dun.  This 
shows  a  preponderance  of  about  56%  bays,  or  over  72%  if  browns 
are  included.  The  greys  and  dapple  greys  show  strongly  the  color 
of  the  Spanish  greys  imported  in  1807.  The  chestnuts  and  blacks 
are  the  progeny  of  crosses  and  show  the  influence  of  different  types 
of  Oriental  sires.  The  Libyan  influence,  however,  is  most  marked 
especially  in  a  country  where  up  to  then  horse-breeding  was  prac- 
tically based  on  the  system  of  "survival  of  the  fittest"  and  in  a 
case  where  the  horses  were  picked  ones.  Ridgeway  's  argument  that 
color  is  as  much  a  characteristic — a  natural  specialization — as  any 
high  quality  holds  true  in  this  case  as -it  does  with  the  Thoroughbred. 
The  better  animals  of  the  highest  qualities  survived  the  severest 
tests— and  these  were  the  bays.  Making  use  of  the  proverbial 
drowning  man's  straw  it  may  be  added  that  one  of  the  stallions  fre- 
quently alluded  to  in  Van  Riebeeck's  Diary  (1652-1662)  as  "most 
beautiful  stallions"  was  called  "Rode  Vos,"  (Red  fox)  and  was 
thus  a  bay.^' 

From  the  valuable  researches  of  Litehtenstein  during  the  years 
1798-1806^^  we  find  the  following  remarks  on  the  horse  material  of 
South  Africa  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  importation  of 
horses  from  Java  and  Persia ;  a  considerable  period  of  time  during 
which  the  breed  of  horses  could  develop  into  a  special  and  distinct 
type.  ' '  The  breed  of  horses  of  Persian  descent  of  the  northers  dis- 
tricts of  Cape  Colony  is  considered  to  have  been  kept  the  purest. 
They  are  characterized  by  a  stronger  structure,  greater  height,  and 
extraordinary  endurance  and  are  of  a  bay  color.  These  northern 
districts  comprise  the  Hantam  range  of  mountains  and  plains  which 
were  adaptable  to  horse  breeding,  forming  with  its  dry  air  and 
scanty  herbage  on  rich  lime  soils  a  second  home  for  the  Arab. 
Greater  care  has  been  bestowed  on  their  breeding  and  selection  than 
in  the  Southern  districts." 


(16)  Papers  relating  to  the  Purchase  of  Horses  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  for 

Cavalry  and  Artillery  Service  in  India  and  the  Colony.     (Parliamentary 
■     Blue  Bools  1845). 

(17)  Br.   E.    C.    Godec-Molsbergen.     Jan    van.     Eieheeck.     Stichter    van    Hol- 

lands Zuid  Afrika  1913. 

(18)  Heinrich  Litehtenstein.     " Beisen  in  Siidlichen  AfriTca  1798-1806.     Ber- 

lin 1811. 

12 


Having  attempted  to  trace  the  characteristics  of  the  Cape  Hors3 
to  its  Libyan  ancestors  from  such  coincidents  as  color,  stamnia,  do- 
cility, endurance  and  hardiness  we  return  to  its  history  in  South 
Africa  itself. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  in  1486  the  Aborigines 
possessed  no  knowledge  of  the  horse  (Epuus  Caballus)  nor  do  we 
possess  to-day  any  palaeontological  proofs  of  its  existence  in  pre 
historic  times.  The  natural  group  of  Equidae,  however,  were  rep- 
resented by  three  distinct  types  and  in  large  numbers  too.  They 
were:  (1)  The  mountain  Zebra  (Zebra  equus)  ;  (2)  Burchells 
Zebra  (Zebra  Burchelli ;  (3)  The  Quagga  (Equus  Champmani).^-' 
The  mountain  zebra  still  lives  in  tlie  mountains  of  the  eastern  Cape 
colony  and  is  protected  by  law,  while  various  species  of  it  are  found 
right  over  Africa  as  high  up  as  Abyssinia.  The  Burchell's  Ze- 
bra is  almost  extinct  and  the  Quagga  quite ;  the  last  specimen  died 
in  the  Zoological  Gardens.  London  in  18G0.-"  The  Quagga  was 
closest  related  to  the  horse  and  would  have  been  a  most  useful  ani- 
mal had  it  been  domesticated.  It  disappeared,  however,  before 
something  was  done  in  that  direction ;  although  very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  colony  it  was  remarked  by  one  of  the  company's  di- 
rectors in  excuse  for  his  refusing  to  send  out  horses  from  Holland 
to  South  Africa  that,  "there  is  such  a  fine  race  of  horses  indigenous 
at  the  Cape  and  the  colonists  should  capture  them  and  by  further 
breeding  help  themselves.  *  '^^ 

The  history  of  the  first  importation  of  horses  leads  us  right 
back  to  the  days  when  Holland  was  mistress  of  the  seas  and  owned 
the  Cape  and  enjoyed  the  greatest  trade  with  the  East.  Merchan- 
dise, spices  and  food-stuffs  played  the  main  part  in  the  trade  with 
the  East  Indies,  and  live-stock  owing  to  the  great  inconvenience 
and  risk  of  life  due  to  the  long  voyage  formed  a  very  unimportant 
part,  more  so  because  at  the  Cape  there  was  an  abundant  supply  of 
native  cattle  and  sheep.  It  was  by  sheer  •  necessity — cattle  failed 
and  trouble  arose  with  the  natives — that  a  couple  of  horses  were  im- 
ported and  a  small  number  were  landed  safely  on  the  South  African 
shore.  It  was  on  a  stormy  day  in  the  late  autumn  (April,  1652)  that  a 
fleet  of  merchant  vessels  under  the  command  of  van  Teylingen 
sighted  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     On  these  vessels  were  "some" 

(19)  Eobert  Wallace.     "Farming  Industries  in  the  Cape  Colony".     1896. 

(20)  E.  LydeTcJcer  "The  Horse  and  Its  Relatives,  1912. 

(21)  Archieves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

13 


horses  for  the  Cape.^-  Owing  to  the  storms  the  cargo  could  not  be 
be  landed  and  the  horses  were  put  on  shore  at  St.  Helena  from  where 
they  were  subsequently  fetched  and  returned  to  the  Cape.  In  the 
following  year  four  more  specimens  arrived,  amongst  them  "a  fine 
stallion — the  only  one  at  the  Cape,"  which  unfortunately  was  torn 
to  pieces  by  lions  one  morning  when  left  to  graze  outside  the  fort- 
ress.^^  In  1655  they  succeeded  in  capturing  two  of  the  horses  let 
loose  on  St.  Helena  and  in  the  following  winter  two  "fine  stallions" 
were  also  secured,  and  taken  to  the  cape  leaving  behind  an  older 
stallion  with  a  mare  and  foal,  which  escaped.  The  following  year  is 
notable  for  the  order  the  captain  of  the  trading  vessel  Venenburgh 
had  for  bringing  out  some  asses  from  the  Cape  Verde  islands.  In 
1657  the  horses  left  at  St.  Helena  had  increased  to  seven  and  the 
reward  of  twenty  rix  dollars  was  promised  for  their  capture.  In 
1661  the  commissioner  Andries  Fusius  reported  to  the  Lords  Seven- 
teen (Batavian  Republic),  ^*  that  "horse  breeding  is  becoming  a 
very  profitable  occupation,  out  of  22  horses  imported  up  to  date 
there  were  15  foals."  Jan  van  Riebeeck,  the  governor  of  the  first 
settlement  exerted  himself  to  tlie  utmost  to  promote  the  well-fare 
of  the  small  community  and  especially  for  the  importation  of  horses 
for  agricultural  purposes  and  military  service,  against  the  raids  of 
the  natives. 

In  a  letter  of  his  in  1656-''  he  is  literally  praying  for  a  few 
horses  from  India  and  especially  mares  for  breeding  purposes. 
They  could  send  him  at  least  one  with  every  homeward  bound  fleet 
he  argued.  Only  three  years  later  was  his  urgent  request  complied 
with  to  some  extent.  The  government  had  an  interest  in  the  agri- 
cultural development  of  the  colony,  it  was  stated;  but  the  trans- 
portation of  horses  was  too  cumbersome  and  stowage  on  board  the 
vessels  was  very  limited.  They  will,  however,  try  to  send  him  at 
least  two  horses  with  every  homeward  bound  fleet  especially  nov/ 
that  there  are  troubles  with  the  Hottentots.  But  it  will  be  a  haz- 
ardous undertaking  owing  to  the  long  voyage,  scarcity  of  forage  and 
water,  and  they  can  only  hope  that  some  will  reach  hime  alive.^® 
It  was  also  the  intention  of  the  council  as  is  learned  from  a  letter 


(22)  Precis  of  the  ArcMeves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     H.  C.  V.  Leibbrandt. 

(23)  Jan  van  Biebeeck,  Dagverhaal  1652-1662- 

(24)  ArcMeves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     1652-1766. 

(25)  ArcMeves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     1652-1766. 

(26,  27  and  28)  ArcMeves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     1652-1795. 


in  September,  1659  to  send  a  few  horses  from  Holland  to  the  Cape, 
but  since  an  attempt  to  Japan  had  failed  they  thought  it  best  to 
give  it  up.^^  This  fact  is  of  great  importance  since  Quadekker  in 
his  "Het  Paarden  Boek"  holds  that  "to  increase  weight  and  size  in 
the  rather  small  and  light  Cape  Horse,  the  Netherlands 's  govern- 
ment imported  some  heavy  Dutch  horses."  The  most  thorough 
search  for  proof  of  this  in  other  works  on  the  South  African  horse 
has  failed  nor  does  the  Cape  Horse  in  any  way  show  the  smallest 
trace  of  cold-blooded  strains. 

In  the  meantime  horse  breeding  has  developed  so  successfully 
in  spite  of  the  step-motherly  treatment  of  the  Dutch  East  India 
Company  that  in  1665  the  first  public  sale  of  sixteen  horses  took 
place  at  the  average  price  of  about  four  pounds  five  shillings  each, 
(about  twenty-one  dollars)  a  price  that  was  equal  in  value  to  that  of 
five  large  oxen  in  prime  condition.-'^  This  year,  then,  marks  the 
time  when  private  farmers  first  owned  horses  and  wlien  horse  breed- 
ing became  a  part  of  their  agricultural  pursuits.  They  do  not 
seem  to  have  made  a  great  success  of  it.  Either  through  neglect  in 
breeding  or  some  other  reason,  the  breed  has  gone  back  much,  espec- 
ially in  size.  This  is  clearly  demonstrated  by  a  government  notice 
of  the  year  1686;-^  "Since  the  breed  of  horses  of  this  country  has 
considerably  deteriorated  every  person  who  uses  a  liorse  under  the 
age  of  three  years  is  liable  to  a  fine  of  forty  rix  dollars. 

To  rectify  this  evil  the  company  through  the  exerlioiis  of  the 
good  and  zealous  governor  Simon  van  der  Stell  imported  in  1689 
some  stud  horses  directly  from  Persia.  With  these  importations 
we  come  to  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  find  that  horse- 
breeding  has  been  firmly  established.  The  animals  were  small  yet 
highly  esteemed  for  their  usefulness  and  though  lacking  many  good 
points  externally  they  possessed  the  good  qualities  of  hardiness,  en- 
durance, and  excellent  constitution  and  a  temperament  that  com- 
bined great  willingness,  docility  and  steadiness. 

To  come  back  to  the  breed  of  these  first  importations  we  find 
that  they  were  put  down  in  the  archieves  of  the  colony  as  "Java 
horses",  and  most  of  the  writers  who  have  touched  on  South  Afri- 
can horse-breeding  are  satisfied  to  say  that  the  Cape  Horse  is  de- 
scended from  horses  imported  from  Java  and  possesses  a  very  strong 
strain  of  Persian  blood.     The  Java  horse  of  the  early  centuries  ac- 

(29)   George  McCall  Theal.     History  and  Ethnography  of  S.  A.     1505-1795. 

15 


cording  to  the  best  authorities  is  of  a  strong  Persian  and  Arab 
strain.  JFreiherr  von  Hoerdtl  in  his  "  Pf erderassen  des  Nieder- 
landisch-Indischen  Arehipels"  "°  says  that  "One  cannot  speak  of  a 
breed  of  horses,  only  ponies  are  represented  and  they  show  relation 
to  a  common  stock.  About  the  origin  of  these  'minature  horses' 
nothing  definite  could  be  gathered.  In  all  probability  they  are  the 
degenerate  descendents  of  the  Arabian  stallions  that  were  imported 
by  Arabian  traders  hundreds  of  years  ago ;  that  they  were  an 
autochthonous  product  of  the  Archipelago  is  out  of  the  question." 
The  most  important  pony  breeders  of  the  present  day  are  the  Sandel- 
woods,  Makasses,  and  Sumbawas.  They  show  their  Arabian  de- 
scent in  form,  temperament,  hardiness,  and  good  constitution. 

From  the  great  work  of  Robert  Miiller^^  we  gather  more  or  less 
the  same  facts,  viz — That  the  Java  horse  is  a  descendent  from  Arab 
steeds  imported  by  the  Moslems  during  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth century. 

The  well  known  Dutch  authority  on  horses,  E.  A.  L.  Quadekker 
in  his  "Het  Paarden  Boek"  with  several  other  writers^-  of  fame 
and  experience  in  the  very  localities  are  all  unanimous  in  the  view 
that  the  existing  breeds  of  ponies  are  of  Arabian  descent  but  that 
through  neglect  and  unintelligent  crossing  they  have  deteriorated 
considerably  and  that  thereby  a  great  source  of  national  wealth  is 
threatened  to  be  lost.  "In  spite  of  the  inaccurate  and  unintelli- 
gent breeding,"  says  Quadekker,  "the  breed  has,  however,  main- 
tained its  characteristics  most  tenaciously,  which  pleads  very  strong- 
ly for  its  noble  origin  and  purity  of  race."  If  so  much  can  be  said 
of  the  Java  pony  to-day  the  horses  imported  from  Java  in  1652  and 
later  must,  have  been  pure  bred  Arabs,  for  there  is  no  proof  that 
Java  possessed  any  other  breed  of  horses. 

In  the  light  of  all  these  investigations  made  on  the  spot  we 
may  come  to  a  safe  conclusion,  therefore,  that  the  Cape  Horse  owes 
its  origin  to  a  fairly  pure  Arab — Persian  strain.  The  Netherlands 
being  mistress  of  the  sea,  during  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
century  and  having  at  its  disposal  the  best  of  the  rich  East  would 
undoubtedly  have  procured  the  best  also  in  the  way  of  live-stock 
for  her  colonial  possessions.     This  supposition  will  hold  strongest 

(30)  Cf.  Graf.  C.  G.  Wrangel.     Die  Eassen  des  Pferdes.     1908- 

(31)  Bobert  Miiller  "Geographic  der  Wirtscliaftstiere."     Leipzig  1903. 

(32)  A.  M.  C.  J.  Exler  Eitmeester  der  0.  I.  Cavalerie  "Het  Paard-" 

G.  W.  Couperus  "  Mililaire  Tydschrift"  1891. 

16 


for  the  several  stud  horses  imported  from  Persia  in  1689 — the  sam3 
year  the  Byerly  Turk  first  attracted  attention  in  England,  and  the 
breeding  from  Oriental  sires  became  more  popular.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  the  Dutch  realized  the  plausibility  of  this  new  venture 
in  English  horse  breeding  and  decided  to  furnish  the  Cape  with 
Oriental  horses. 

Nothing  definite  about  the  size,  color,  and  exterior  character- 
istics of  the  early  importations  from  Persia  to  South  Africa  is  men- 
tioned anywhere  but  working  back  from  the  characteristics  of  their 
descendents  of  about  178  years  later — up  to  the  time  when  the  im- 
portation of  English  Thoroughbreds  became  very  marked — we  have 
ample  justification  in  claiming  for  the  Cape  Horse  an  origin  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  Thoroughbreds  from  the  noblest  strains  of  all 
warm-blooded  horses — the  libyan  of  North  Africa,  through  its 
Arab,  Barb,  and  Persian  types. 

About  1778  several  horses  were  imported  from  South  America 
and  ''they  were  highly  esteemed  for  their  beauty,  their  gentleness, 
and  good  service.  "^^ 

In  that  year  the  viceroyalty  of  the  River  Plate  was  created  and 
the  importation  of  animal  products  assumed  greater  proportions. 
Large  droves  of  horses  roamed  over  the  plains  in  a  wild  state.  They 
were  the  descendents  of  the  horses  abandoned  by  Don  Pedro  de 
Mondoza  in  1538  and  were  of  Andalusian  origin  being  a  cross  be- 
tween the  Barb  and  the  Arabian  and  became  as  famous  as  the  Barbs. 

The  estancieros  (farmers)  of  those  days  selected  the  best  for 
domestic  service  and  the  good  qualities  of  the  original  stock  was  kept 
up  to  a  high  degree."* 

Thus  the  importation  of  these  horses  was  only  another  fresh 
infusion  of  Oriental  blood  from  a  different  source.  They  were 
highly  esteemed  and  must  have  been  very  good  specimens. 

In  1782  almost  a  century  after  the  importation  of  the  several 
stud  horses  from  Persia  the  first  eight  stallions  were  imported  from 
England.  Nothing  definite  can  be  ascertained  about  their  pedigree 
for  the  first  volume  of  the  ' '  General  Stud  Book ' '  was  only  published 
in  1808.  At  that  time  all  England  was  wildly  enthusiastic  over 
the  attainments  of  Herod,  Eclipse,  Matcham,  and  their  several  illus- 
trious sons  and  daughters.     The  Oriental  sire  has  once  for  all  over- 

(33)  Sir  John  Barrow  "Travels  in  the  Interior  of  South  Africa."     1797-1798. 

(34)  The  Evolution  of  Live-stock  Breeding  in  the  Argentine.     From  "The  Ag- 

ricultural  and   Pastoral    Census   of    the   Nation."     Vol.    Ill-     Buenos 
Aires  1909. 

17 


come  all  prejudice  that  may  have  existed  and  did  exist  a  little  more 
than  half  a  century  ago  before  the  "Grand  Trio"  and  other  sires 
both  Barbs  and  Arabs  came  to  clear  it  all  away.  The  English 
"blood  horse"  has  become  thoroughly  established  and  popular  with 
all  sections  of  the  community.  We  can  therefore  safely  take  for 
granted  that  these  stallions  were  Thoroughbreds  or  at  least  descend- 
ents  of  the  Oriental  horses  whose  names  were  household  words  in 
England  and  also  abroad.  Referring  to  writers  on  the  horse  at 
that  time  in  England  we  find  that  the  term  "Thoroughbred"  does 
not  occur  anywhere.  It  does  not  occur  in  the  early  volumes  of  the 
Racing  Calendar,  nor  in  other  works  relating  to  the  turf.  It  does 
not  occur  in  the  Sporting  Magazine  of  1805,  wherein  we  read  of  the 
shipment  to  Russia  of  "Stallions  of  the  first  blood  and  celebrity." 
In  an  1806  issue  there  is  a  remark  about  stallions  covering  "thor- 
oughbred mares"  distinguishing  them  from  "hunting"  and  "coun- 
try" mares.-''  From  Laurence  in  his  "History  and  Deliniation  of 
the  Horse"  we  have  the  following:  "All  horses  intended  for  this 
purpose  (racing)  must  be  thoroughbreds,  i.  e.  both  their  sires  and 
dams  must  be  of  the  purest  Asiatic  and  African  coursers  excliis- 
ively  and  be  attested  in  an  authentic  pedigree." 

More  light  happily  is  thrown  on  the  descendants  of  these  horses 
and  probably  on  themselves  too  by  Lichtenstein.^"  With  his  usual 
thoroughness  he  describes  one  of  the  farms  where  the  expedition 
recuperated  for  several  days. 

"Mr.  Van  Reenen, "  he  writes,  "also  exhibited  to  us  some  of 
the  finest  horses  of  his  stud.  The  stallion  was  a  beautiful  'national 
English  horse'  (national  Englander)  which  Mr.  van  Reenen  has 
obtained  from  England  with  great  difficulty  and  expense."  He 
further  mentions  that  during  the  English  occupation  of  the  Cape 
(1795-1803)  several  English  stallions  were  imported.  Besides  Mr. 
van  Reenen,  he  remembers  four'  other  colonists  who  have  shared  in 
this  importation.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  regretted  their  pur- 
chases, since  their  stock  shows  a  remarkable  improvement,  "In 
fact,"  he  remarks,  "much  seems  to  be  expected  for  the  improvement 
and  development  of  horse  breeding  in  this  locality,  as  is  judged 
from  the  excellent  foals  which  were  shown  us." 

These  remarks  refer  to  a  stud  near  Capetown  in  the  present  dis- 
trict of  Malmesbury,  still  a  famous  district  for  good  horses  to-day. 

(35)  Sir  Walter  Gilbey  "Horses — Breeding  to  Colour.     1907. 

(36)  Heinrich  Litchtenstein  Beisen  in  Sudlichen  Afrika.     1811. 

18 


More  important  though,  is  another  account  of  a  stud,  situated  in  the 
locality  which  has  gained  undying  fame  for  the  Cape  Horse. 

This  stud  of  Mr.  van  Reenen  situated  in  the  then  Hantam  dis- 
trict is  described  as  "an  excellent  stud,  containing  over  three  hun- 
dred breeding  horses,  all  bred  from  the  best  English  and  Arab 
breeds.  He  possessed  among  others  an  Arabian  stallion  for  which 
he  paid  three  thousand  thalers,  (approximately  2250  dollars). ^^ 

At  this  time  the  ruling  governor  van  der  Graaf,  a  great  lover 
of  horses,  pomp,  and  show,  doubled  the  number  of  horses  in  the 
company's  stables  which  he  took  over  with  66  horses.  Most  luxur- 
iant equipages  were  kept  for  the  governor  and  his  following.  All 
this  and  also  the  luxurious  life  based  on  the  fluctuating  wealth  of 
the  military  life  of  two  hired  French  regiments  from  Luxembourg 
gained  for  the  Cape  of  those  days  the  name  of  "little  Paris."  The 
horse  had  an  aristocratic  career  in  that  age  and  figured  largely  in 
the  pomp  and  splendor  of  great  state  occasions,  and  this  luxuriant 
life  at  the  greatest  half  way  of  the  world's  trade  traffic  has  undoubt- 
edly called  for  the  maintenance  and  possession  of  the  best  horses 
procurable. 

From  these  several  accounts  we  have  sufficient  circumstantial 
evidence  to  strengthen  the  supposition  that  the  majority  of  the 
horses  imported  from  England  during  the  eighteenth  century  were 
Thoroughbreds,  or  as  they  seem  to  have  been  called  at  the  Cape  "Na- 
tional English  Horses"  and  it  is  quite  clear  that  some  very  good 
Arabs  also  found  their  way  to  the  best  studs  in  the  colony. 

During  the  same  year  (1782)  five  stud  horses  were  imported 
from  Boston,  U.  S.  A.^^  As  in  the  ease  with  the  importations  from 
England  we  have  no  reliable  information  as  to  the  breed  and  other 
details  of  these  horses.  To  throw  any  light  on  the  question  it  is 
necessary  to  review  the  contemporary  breeds  of  horses  in  America, 
and  determine  which  was  the  popular  one  that  would  likely  attract 
the  attention  of  foreign  buyers. 

The  foundation  stock  of  the  American  horse  is  most  fully 


(37)  The  German  "Thaler"  of  tliat  period  equalled  three  shillings..  .McCaU 
Theal  in  his  "History  of  South  Africa"  remarks  on  the  dollar:  "Its 
real  value  as  determined  by  the  rate  of  exchange  fluctuated  so  much  that 
it  is  impossible  to  give  statistics  with  absolute  accuracy  in  English  money. 
Up  to  1789  the  rix-dollar  equalled  four  shillings  (still  the  standard  coin- 
age in  the  U.  S.  A.,  as  introduced  by  the  Dutch  to  New  Amsterdam  in 
1635).  In  1816  it  equalled  two  shillings  and  sixpence  and  later  one  shil- 
ling and  sixpence.     In  1820  English  coinage  was  introduced- 

19 


worked  out  in  Wallace's  work.^^  The  information  that  concerns 
the  point  in  question  is  that  in  1656  Adrean  van  der  Donck  in  a  de- 
scription of  the  country  (New  Netherland)  speaks  of  the  stock  of 
horses  as  being  of  "proper  breed  for  husbandry"  having  been 
brought  from  Utrecht,  and  that  the  stock  has  not  diminished  in 
size  and  quality.  "They  had  a  very  wide  fame  in  that  day  and  were 
better  fitted  for  agricultural  uses  than  the  Connecticut  English 
horses  because  they  were  larger  and  stronger,  yei  sprightly  and 
active  and  some  of  them  could  run  very  well.  Dutch  horses  im- 
ported to  Boston  in  1635  and  later  fetched  much  higher  prices  (35 
pounds)  than  English  horses.  They  were  141/0  hands  high,  and 
were  better  adapted  for  general  purposes  than  English  horses  ex- 
cept the  saddle.  The  term  "Dutch  horses"  is  not  to  be  confused 
with  that  of  a  latter  period  used  exclusively  for  the  great  massive 
draft  horses." 

The  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture  holds  that  the  Barb 
through  the  imported  Andalusian  horses  of  Spain  also  forms  an 
important  part  of  the  native  base  on  which  the  improvement  of 
horses  in  America  has  been  made.  According  to  Wallace  the  Dutch 
and  English  horses  kept  up  a  high  point  of  efficiency  and  develop- 
ment so  that  the  importation  of  the  first  Thorouglibreds  there  was 
an  undoubtedly  first  class  foundation  stock  of  warm-blooded  strains. 

The  first  Thoroughbred  imported  to  America  in  1730  was  Bulle 
Rock  from  Darley  Arabian  out  of  a  mare  by  Byerly  Turk.*" 

He  was  followed  by  Bonny  Lass  by  Bay  Bolton  out  of  a  mare 
by  Darley  Arabian.  Further  importations  followed  after  this  date 
and  before  1782  sucli  notables  as  Matcham,  Stark  and  Diomed  were 
imported.  From  these  observations  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  most 
popular  horse  at  that  time  was  the  progeny  of  the  Thoroughbreds 
imported  from  England. 

With  these  several  new  importations,  new  blood  has  been  in- 
fused to  the  Cape  Horse.  The  boundaries  of  the  colony  have  ex- 
panded and  horse  breeding  developed  most  successfully  towards 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  which  has  also  been  remarkable 
for  two  notable  events  which  affected  horse  breeding  very  much. 

In  1719  the  later  so  much  dreaded  "horse  sickness'  made  its 
first  appearance  and  swept  away  some  several  hundred  horses.     It 

(38)  George  McCall  Theal  "History  of  South  Africa,  1625  to  1795. 

(39)  J.  H.  Wallace  "The  Horse  of  America"  1897. 

(40)  Merritt  W.  Harper  "Management  and  Breeding  of  Horses."    1913. 

20 


repeated  its  visitation  in  1763  and  caused  tremendous  liavoc  amongst 
horse  life ;  the  farmers  losing  within  a  couple  of  months  over  two 
thousand  five  hundred  horses.  These  deplorable  events,  however, 
were  followed  by  a  more  favorable  one.  In  1769  the  tirst  batch  of 
remounts  for  the  Indian  army  were  exported  and  became  a  fore- 
runner of  a  great  and  prosperous  trade.*^ 

The  nineteenth  century  is  remai'kable  in  regard  to  horse-ljreed- 
ing  in  so  far  as  within  its  decades  horse  breeding  reached  its  highest 
point  of  development  and  also  its  deplorable  decline  and  deterior- 
ation. Towards  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  colonists  be- 
came filled  with  the  desire  of  possessing  pedigree  horses,  and  some 
of  the  meanest  "blood  weeds"  of  the  Thoroughbred  stock  found 
their  way  to  some  of  the  best  studs  in  the  colony.  The  wool  sheep 
farming,  ostrich  farming,  gold  and  diamond  mines  were  found  more 
lucrative  occupations  and  investments  and  the  serviceable  and  high- 
ly efficient  Cape  Horse  had  to  give  way  and  was  readily  neglected. 
These  are  in  short  some  of  the  reasons  of  deterioration  of  horse 
breeding  in  South  Africa  and  we  will  refer  to  them  more  fully  later 
on  in  this  chapter. 

In  March,  1807,  during  the  Napoleonic  wars  two  French  vessels 
were  captured  containing  some  Spanish  breeding  horses  en  route 
to  Buenos  Aires.  "It  is  from  these  that  we  derived  the  blue  and 
red  roans  so  valuable  for  their  great  powers  of  endurance.  "■*- 
Liehtenstein^^  a  contemporaneous  writer  and  explorer  describes  their 
progeny  as  "a  kind  of  bluish  grey  (blau  und  gran  schimmels)  col- 
ored horse,  of  medium  height  with  extraordinary  broad  breast,  em- 
inently suited  for  carriage  horses. ' ' 

Another  reference  to  this  infusion  of  Spanish  blood  is  found  in 
the  Live  Stock  Journal  No.  2  on  Light  Horses.''*  The  Earl  of 
Newcastle  forgetful  or  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  Arab,  Persian,  and 
even  Thoroughbred  blood  went  to  establish  the  Cape  Horse,  holds 
forth  that  the  ancestors  of  the  Cape  Horse  came  from  Spain.  He, 
however,  expounds  on  the  good  qualities  of  the  Spanish  horse  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  "The  Barb",  writes  this  authority,  "were 
the  lords  of  the  horse  tribe,  but  the  Spanish  horses  were  the  princes," 

(41)  McCall  Theal  "History  of  South  Africa,"  1652-1795. 

(42)  George  McCall  Theal  "History  of  South  Africa",  since  1795. 

(43)  Eeinrich  Lichtenstein  " Beisen  in  Sudlichen  Afrika."     1811. 

(44)  Live  StocTc  Journal  No.  2  "Light  Horses — Breeds  and  Maiiageraent." 

1907 — London. 

21 


and  proceeds  to  describe  the  dappled  grey  descendents  of  the  Span- 
ish stallions  at  the  Cape  especially  those  bred  by  Mr.  Melck  of  Ber- 
grivierplaats,  which  were  known  as  "Cape  Greys"  (Kaapse  Schim- 
mels),  and  were  highly  prized.  They  were  compact  and  well  built 
animals  and  frequently  sold  at  £300  a  pair. 

The  following  year  (1808),  a  number  of  horses  and  mares 
were  brought  from  the  New  England  States  in  America.  These  are 
said  to  have  been  of  Spanish  and  Eastern  blood.*^  This  is  the  sec- 
ond importation  of  breeding  horses  from  the  United  States  and  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  these  horses  were  of  good  Oriental 
and  Spanish  strains,  or  at  least  the  progeny  of  imported  Thorough- 
bred stallions  and  native  mares  of  Spanish  or  Oriental  blood. 

The  greatest  progress,  however,  was  made  in  the  development 
of  horse  breeding  during  the  Governorship  of  Lord  Charles  Somer- 
set. He  was  a  passionate  lover  and  good  judge  of  the  noble  animal, 
and  imported  many  of  the  best  Thoroughbreds  as  their  pedigrees 
will  show.  From  the  General  Stud  Book  *"  we  find  that  during  the 
years  1811-20,  eighteen  stallions  and  two  mares  were  imported  to 
South  Africa.  Most  of  them  could  show  an  extended  pedigree  to 
the  great  founders  of  the  Thoroughbred  stock.  Six  of  these  stal- 
lions died  on  the  passage  out.     The  others  were : 

1.  Claudio  (Belissa — Phenomenon — Herod.  Dam,  Gohanna). 
2.  Cottager  (Hambletonian.  Dam  by  Dragon).  3.  Ban  gup  (Young 
Sir  Peter.  Dam  by  Tantrum).  4.  Merry  Andrew  (Dick  Andrews. 
Dam,  sister  Bangtail).  5.  Diabolus  (Williamson's  Ditto.  Dam, 
Mangolia  the  Younger).  6.  Kutusok  (Waxy — Sir  Peter — Herod). 
7.  Kricketer  (Sir  George.  Dam  by  Ruler).  8.  David  (Sir  David. 
Dam  by  Stanford).  9.  Yaffil  (Popinjay.  Dam  by  Woodpecker — 
and  Herod  Mare).  10.  Pompey  (Windle.  Dam  Anna  Belle  by 
Shuttle,  a  great  winner  and  direct  descendent  of  Darley  Arabian). 
11.  Fascinator  (Sorcerer — Godolphin  Barb.  Dam,  Hannah).  12. 
Vanguard  (Haphazard.  Vestal  by  Walton).  13.  Sorcerer  (Sor- 
cerer— Godolphin  Barb).     14.  Ploughboy. 

Sorcerer  was  one  of  the  finest  horses  seen  at  the  Cape  up  to  this 
period,  and  was  sold  for  10,000  rixdollars  to  a  Hantam  breeder. 
The  two  mares  were  entered  as  No.  1,  born  1801  (Driver.  .  Herod 
Mare).     This  Herod  mare  was  the  mother  of  the  famous  breeders 

(45)  Cape  Monthly  1809. 

(46)  Compare  Bacing  Calendar  1885.     Montgomery  Martin.     Also  Agr.  Journ, 

of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  III.     W.  Grey  Battray. 

22 


and  winners  '' Precipitate"  and  "Gohanna."  Mare  No.  2  (Hap- 
hazzard.  Dam,  daughter  of  Tantrum).  In  addition  to  these  im- 
portations the  "Records  of  the  Cape  Colony"  No.  416  mentions  that 
36  more  horses  of  the  same  description  were  imported  either  by 
private  individuals  or  horse  agents.  Fuller  details,  however,  are 
not  obtainable. 

The  colonists  were  so  pleased  and  satisfied  with  Sir  Charles' 
good  idea  to  use  the  Thoroughbred  as  a  sire  for  the  ennobling  of  the 
country-bred  horses  that  the  importation  of  good  stallions  was  con- 
tinued, and  the  decade  1820-30  brought  such  notables  to  our  shores : 

1.  Skipper  (Scud).  2.  Scippio  (Filho  da  Puta — great  grand- 
sire  of  Gaines'  Denmark  1850,  the  founder  of  the  Kentucky  Saddle 
horse). *'^  3.  Battledore  (Sir  Oliver)^  These  were  followed  in 
1830-40  by  1.  Protector  (Defence).  2.  O'Connell  (Young  Emi- 
lius).  3.  Rococo  (Cetus).  4.  Lindley  (Banker).  5.  Humpfrey 
(Filho  da  Puta).  6.  Squirrel  (Cain),  etc.  Most  of  these  horses 
were  bought  at  a  price  which  was  then  considered  very  high,  and 
seldom  paid  thirty  years  later. 

During  the  decade  1840-50  the  government  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  imported  several  stallions  which  had  stood  at  stud  in 
England,  and  could  show  progeny  that  became  famous  on  the  race 
course  and  in  their  turn  sired  many  great  winners,  and  are  to  this 
day  in  the  pedigree  of  the  famous  winners.     They  were : 

1.  Tally-Ho  (Emilus — Merlin — Misrule).  2.  Gorhambury 
(Buzzard — Woodpecker — Herod.  Dam,  Brocard — Whalebone — 
Darley — Arabian).  3.  Orion  (Bay  Middleton — Silvertail — Gohan- 
na— Herod).  4.  Ruff  (Jerry).  5.  Flytrap  (Bay  Middleton.  6. 
Moscow  (Muley  Maloch).  7.  Middleman  (Muley  Maloch).  8. 
Peter  the  Hermit  (Gladiator).  9.  Evenus  (Alpheus — De  Poca 
hontas),  etc.  Middleman  won  the  Liverpool  and  St.  Leger.  Ev- 
enus won  the  Royal  Hunt  Cup  and  Cambridgshire  Races,  as  the  prop- 
erty of  Earl  of  Stradbroke.  All  others  mentioned  were  noted  win- 
ners. Besides  these  stallions  there  were  also  imported  during  this 
famous  decade — the  roll  of  which  may  be  set  down  a»s  the  best  of  all 
time — some  younger  stallions.  Among  them  the  following  shine 
out: 

1.  Sponge  (Apmeck — sire  of  Express,  a  great  winner).  2 
Winchelsea.      3.  Fancy  Bay.      4.  Eleusis.       5.  Sir  Lancelot,       6. 

(47)   Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  III. 

23 


Branble,  etc.  Several  mares  were  also  imported  amongst  which  are 
especially  to  be  mentioned : 

1.  Posthaste  (Colonel).  2.  Georgian  (Buzzard — Byerly  Turk. 
Variety — Selim  —  Herod).  3.  Taffrail  ( Streetanchor.  Dam, 
daughter  of  Whisker — -Darley  Arabian).  The  last  two  mentioned 
mares  were  covered  by  Sir.  Hercules  (Eclipse)  the  sire  of  Bird- 
catcher,  and  to  him  Georgian  dropped  on  her  arrival  at  the  Cape 
Sir  Hercules— a  famous  sire  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Hantam 
type  of  Cape  Horse. 

1850-60.  Quality  although  not  quite  up  to  that  imported  in 
the  preceding  decade  was  still  commendable.  Among  the  best  are 
to  be  mentioned : 

1.  Pant  online  (Pantaloon).  2.  Lammermoor.  3.  Cocker- 
mouth.  4.  Mr.  Martin  (Lancelot).  Mr.  Martin  is  described  in  the 
''Sporting  Magazine"  the  recognized  authority  of  its  day  as  one  of 
the  handsomest  horses  England  ever  produced.  5.  Cornboro  (Flat- 
catcher).  6.  Mayor  of  Hull  (Sharon  Buidhe).  7.  Wrestler  (Or- 
lando— Eclipse).  8.  Barkley  (Teddington — Eclipse).  9.  Sylvan 
(The  Saddler).  10.  Early  Morn  (Chanticleer).  11.  Wentworth 
(Bay  Middleton).  12.  Mortimer  (Fitz  Allen.  Mortimer  was  the 
first  thoroughbred  imported  to  the  province  of  Natal  in  1860.) 

The  mares  imported  during  this  period  were : 

1.  Meliora  (Melbourne — Godolphin  Barb).  2.  Georgie  (Or- 
lando). 3.  Idollette  (Storm).  4.  Hebe  (Herbilist).  It  was  dur- 
ing this  decade  that  the  Cape  Horse  may  be  said  to  have  reached  its 
highest  state  of  perfection.  The  Indian  authorities  had  appointed 
a  resident  Commissioner  at  the  Cape  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing 
suitable  horses  for  remounts  and  thousands  of  horses  were  shipped 
to  the  different  parts  of  India.  The  decade  1860-70  brought  the 
largest  number  of  horses  to  our  shores,  the  most  prominent  being : 

1.  Bonnie  Morn,  by  Chanticleer.  2.  Nothing  More,  by  Hospo- 
dor.  .3  Commissioner,  by  Orest.  4.  King  William,  by  Poynta.  5. 
Naughty  Boy,  by  Idle  Boy.  6.  Newsmonger,  by  Newminister.  7. 
Nugget,  by  West  Australian.  8.  Tormentor,  by  Wild  Daywell.  9. 
Sir  Amyas  Leigh,  by  Adventurer,  etc. 

So  great  has  been  the  success  of  these  importations  that  in  the 
following  decade  it  was  the  desire  of  almost  every  farmer  to  possess 
imported  stallions.  This  drew  the  attention  of  certain  unscrupulous 
speculators  and  in  consequence  numbers  of  the  sorriest  rips  that 

24 


ever  escaped  the  knocker  were  imported.  Advantage  was  taken  of 
the  ignorance  of  some  farmers  of  the  true  qualities  of  Thorough- 
breds, meaning  that  small  heads,  pointed  ears  and  peacoeky  car- 
riage were  by  preference  the  points  of  a  "blood  horse,"  the  specu- 
lators consequently  delivered  such  specimens  with  an  utter  disre- 
gard of  bone  and  conformation.  From  the  Racing  Calendar  of 
1885  we  find  that  from  1870  up  to  1885  several  hundred  animals  of 
this  class  found  their  way  of  destruction  to  many  an  inland  stud  of 
good  formation  stock.  ' '  The  English  blood  stock  sale  returns  show 
that  the  majority  of  these  imported  and  publicly  sold  did  not  rea- 
lize more  than  25  guineas — the  range  as  a  rule  being  from  3-25 
guineas.  An  instance  is  on  record  of  a  horse  purchased  at  public 
auction  (Tattersall's)  in  England  for  five  guineas,  and  sold  at  the 
Cape  for  500  pounds  sterling."'*^ 

Independent,  however,  of  the  speculator  type  of  Thoroughbred, 
several  good  horses  were  imported  and  those  deserving  special  at- 
tention were :  Belladrum,  Champagne  Charlie,  Buxton,  Erl  Konig, 
Moorfoot,  Elf  King,  Sir  Marmaduke,  Plunger,  Student,  Catalpa, 
St.  Augustine,  Sportsman,  Fire  King  and  Wackum. 

Out  of  this  number  of  imported  thoroughbreds  some  ninety 
judged  by  their  capabilities,  conformation,  pedigree  and  progeny 
deserve  special  recognition.  Most  of  them  were  sold  to  the  farmers 
at  an  average  price  of  400  pounds  and  several  stood  at  stud  at  the 
government  farms.  *^ 

With  these  data  of  importations  we  have  come  up  to  the  thresh- 
old of  modern  times.  By  the  importation  of  the  above  mentioned 
** blood  weeds"  and  their  subsequent  deteriorating  effects  on  the 
original  stock  the  lucrative  trade  in  remounts  with  India  was  for- 
feited and  destroyed.  With  the  upcoming  of  the  fast  developing 
wool,  mohair  and  ostrich  feather  industries,  the  gold  and  diamond 
mines,  the  chapter  in  the  history  of  successful  horse  breeding  in 
South  Africa  comes  to  a  close.  The  palmy  days  of  the  middle  of 
the  last  century  have  set  without  the  dawn  of  a  bright  to-morrow. 
A  great  national  loss  that  is  increasing,  has  up  to  the  present  not 
been  remedied  although  there  is  nothing  except  perhaps  more  intel- 

(48)  Grey  Eattray  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Vol.  VIII. 

(49)  D.  Hutcheon  M.  B.  C.  V.  S.  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good 

Hope.  Vol.  VI. 

These  journals  were  mainly  consulted  for  information  on  the  above  men- 
tioned importations  Vol.  I— XXXIV.     (1888-1910.) 

25 


ligent  selection,  better  management  and  some  good  sense  and  whole- 
some enterprise,  to  prevent  us  from  achieving  again  what  was  once 
a  source  of  national  wealth  and  of  great  economical  value. 

(b)  DEVELOPMENT. 

In  tracing  the  development  of  horse-breeding  in  South  Africa 
it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  the  various  phases  the  development  of 
the  country  itself  passed  through.  Generally  each  Colony  more  or 
less  passes  through  these  stages : 

(I)  The  pastoral,  when  the  wealth  of  the  land  is  in  cattle, 
sheep  and  horses,  ranging  over  practically  unlimited  lands, 

(II)  The  argicultural,  when  the  land  is  divided  up  into  defi- 
nite and  smaller  areas. 

(III)  Lastly,  the  mining  and  manufacturing  age,  when  town 
populations  grow  quickly  and  wealth  is  not  expressed  in  terms  of 
flocks  and  herds  nor  in  crops  and  orchards  but  in  gold  and  bills  of 
exchange. ^° 

All  these  stages  which  can  easily  be  traced  in  the  development 
of  the  Union  and  its  various  provinces  naturally  effected  the  horse 
and  its  breeding  in  many  ways.  Although  South  Africa  has  passed 
through  these  various  stages,  still  it  was  not  in  too  marked  a  degree 
and  we  still  find  the  three  stages  fairly  well  in  existence  side  by  side. 

The  pastoral  phase  certainly  covers  a  longer  period  than  the 
rest.  For  over  two  centuries  (1650-1870)  the  pastoral  life  ruled 
supreme,  and  all  wealth  consisted  of  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of 
cattle  and  horses  roaming  over  practically  endless  pastures.  Even 
to-day  with  only  one  and  a  half  million  whites;  scattered  over 
450.000  sq.  miles  of  territory  (excluding  natives  and  their  terri- 
tories) the  conditions  are  largely  pastoral  and  additional  feeding 
and  other  scientific  methods  in  farming  are  still  in  their  infancy. 

The  methods  adopted  in  horse-breeding  were  simple  and  nat- 
ural and  were  adapted  to  produce  a  hardy,  useful  animal  at  a  mini  • 
mum  cost  of  food  and  labor.  The  horses  liked  the  half  wild  life 
and  natural  selection  was  able  to  do  its  work  in  eliminating  the 
weakly  animals  from  the  troop.  In  more  thickly  settled  countries 
horses  are  valuable  and  weaklings  are  allowed  to  live  and  breed  on. 
In  a  pastoral  country  the  economic  value  of  stock  is  low ;  drought, 
cold  and  scarcity  of  food,  the  tests  of  warfare  and  hunting  calling 
(50)   Sir  Humphrey  de  Tr afford  "The  Morse  of  the  British  Empire."     1907. 

26 


forth  great  strength,  endurance  and  stamina,  weed  out  the  weakly- 
ones  and  only  the  fittest  survive  for  a  foundation  stock  on  which  to 
graft  any  qualities  we  desire. 

The  public  sale  of  horses  in  1665  markes  the  year  when  horse- 
breeding  was  taken  up  by  farmers  as  part  of  their  agricultural 
pursuits.  The  animals  were  small  yet  efficient  enough  to  supply 
all  their  needs  in  ploughing,  transport  and  military  exploits.  The 
Commandos  (light  cavalry)  then  formed,  played  a  great  part  in  all 
their  warfare  and  developed  to  world-wide  fame  during  the  last  war 
when  British  troops  * '  with  double  teams  could  not  keep  up  with  the 
boer  commandos. "•'^^  With  the  exception  of  a  few  "fine  stallions" 
(schone  hengsten)  among  the  early  imporations  further  breeding 
was  carried  on  by  selecting  the  most  efficient  young  stallions  re- 
gardless of  beauty  of  form,  making  the  highest  amount  of  good 
qualities  the  qualification  for  selection.  In  1689  the  year  Byerly 
Turk  first  attracted  attention  to  the  breeding  from  Oriental  sires 
in  England,  fresh  blood  was  introduced  by  the  importation  of  sev- 
eral stallions  from  Persia;  this  was  a  wise  step  for  the  "breed  of 
horses  has  deteriorated  very  much  in  size."^^ 

At  the  end  of  the  17tli  century  horse-breeding  was  firmly  estab- 
lished and  the  farmers  complimented  themselves  on  possessing  an 
animal  of  "general  utility,"  hardy,  self-supporting  and  of  good 
constitution  and  temperament.  The  settlement  counted  about  1000 
souls,  and  owned  261  horses,  4189  cattle,  48,960  sheep ;  while  the 
company  possessed  140  horses,  1164  cattle  and  9218  sheep  on  their 
farms. '^^ 

In  the  following  century  rapid  strides  were  made  into  the  in- 
terior. New  and  extensive  pastures  were  found  beyond  the  first 
mountain  ranges  and  the  foundations  of  the  great  pastural  com- 
munity with  larger  flocks  were  laid.  Except  a  probable  importa- 
tion of  a  horse  or  two  by  the  returning  fleets,  the  breed  of  horses 
received  no  additional  foreign  blood  for  the  better  part  of  a  cen- 
tury. During  those  eventful  days  amid  hosts  of  barbarians  and 
wild  animals  the  best  that  was  in  horseflesh  was  appealed  to,  and 
this  established  a  foundation  stock  that  would  yield  wonderful  re- 
sults when  mated  with  animals  that  could  make  up  such  qualities 

(51)  B.  Bromley — Spealing  of  30  years'  experience  in  Ag.  Jour,  of  Cape  Col- 

ony Vol.  XXXIII. 

(52)  ArcMeves  of  Cape  of  Good  Hope  1G52-1795- 

(53)  George  McCall  Theal.     History  of  South  Africa  1652-1795. 

27 


as  height  and  conformation  of  form  which  have  been  lost  in  sight 
of  in  the  demand  for  general  efficiency. 

Daring  the  years  of  peace  the  horses  were  allowed  to  run  night 
and  day  in  a  natural  state ;  the  loss  of  an  occasional  foal  through 
the  attacks  of  wild  animals  was  of  minor  importance ;  but  the 
thefts  by  bushmen  was  a  great  torment.  During  the  decades  1710- 
30  a  continual  warfare  was  kept  up  against  these  marauding  and 
migratory  hordes ;  thousands  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses  were  car- 
ried away  into  mountain  fastnesses.^^  Corj'-  has  found  that  during 
the  ten  years  (1785-95)  309  horses  were  killed  and  309  taken  away, 
along  with  thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep."'^  It  may  incidentally  be 
mentioned  here  that  these  horses  were  probably  later  taken  from 
these  hordes  by  tlie  Zulu  nation  who  in  their  turn  waged  war  on  these 
tribes  and  that  they  ultimately  gave  rise  to  the  famous  "Basuto 
Pony. ' ' 

The  plains  of  the  Karroo  with  its  dry  air  and  rolling  plains 
of  grass  on  rich  soils  with  a  fair  percentage  of  lime  were  very 
adaptable  to  successful  horse-breeding,  and  large  troops  often 
consisting  of  over  300  mares  were  quite  frequent.^*'  In  1719, 
however,  this  natural  paradise  of  the  horse  was  rudely  disturbed  by 
the  appearance  of  a  deadly  epizootic  disease,  which  carried  off  1700 
animals  within  a  couple  of  months.  This  disease,  which  is  not 
quite  subdued  to-day,  is  known  as  "Horse-sickness"  and  is  caused 
by  mosquito  bites.  In  1763  it  claimed  another  2500.  At  that  time 
it  was  found  that  if  the  horses  were  kept  on  a  certain  altitude  dur- 
ing the  autumn  months  of  April  and  May  the  majority  of  the  ani- 
mals could  be  saved.  After  the  first  frosts  have  fallen  the  danger 
is  over. 

In  1769  several  recruiting  officers  in  the  Indian  army,  however, 
found  a  sufficient  number  fit  for  cavalry  purposes.  Nothing  could 
be  ascertained  about  the  quality  and  size  of  these  horses;  but  the 
fact  that  South  Africa  became  since  then  a  recruiting  field  of  re- 
mounts for  the  Indian  Army  proves  that  these  horses  have  not  cut 
too  sorry  a  figure  among  the  horses  from  Persia  and  Arabia.  In 
1782  the  first  English  stallions  were  imported,  and  were  followed 
in  the  same  year  by  five  stud  horses  from  Boston,  United  States  of 
America.     Most  of  these  found  their  way  to  the  studs  in  the  north- 

(54)  George  McCall  Theal  "History  of  South  Africa"  1652-1795. 

(55)  G.E.  Cory  "The  Mse  of  South  Africa"  1913.     Vol.  11. 

(56)  Eeinreich  Litchtenstein.     " Beisen  in  Sudlichen  Afrika.    Berlin  1811. 

28 


em  districts  and  helped  to  swell  the  fame  of  the  "Hantam"  type  of 
horses,  throughout  the  land. 

In  a  letter  from  General  Craig  to  II.  E,  Lord  Dundas  dated 
October  31st,  1796  we  learn  that  the  price  paid  for  200  remounts 
averaged  80  rix  dollars,  while  100  rix  dollars  was  paid  for  horses 
of  better  quality.  Some  montlis  later  the  price  had  risen  120  rix 
dollars  and  even  150,"  The  census  returns  of  1798  records  the  pop- 
ulation as  consisting  of  21,764  whites  or  61,447  including  colored 
servants  and  slaves.  They  possessed  47,436  horses,  251,206  cattle 
and  1,448,536  sheep.  The  boundaries  of  the  Colony  enclosed  some 
120,000  square  miles  of  excellent  pasture  and  arrable  land.-"'^ 

The  increasing  demand  for  remounts  in  India  is  a  sure  proof 
that  the  horse  material  has  improved  considerably  during  the  cen- 
tury. They  certainly  have  increased  in  size  judging  from  Licht- 
enstein's  account  already  mentioned  of  the  stud  in  the  Ilantara  dis- 
trict of  over  300  stud  horses  of  greater  size  and  better  conformation 
than  those  of  the  other  districts,  more  south.  He  mentions  that 
they  were  bred  from  the  best  Englisli  and  Arab  sires.  This,  and 
the  fact  that  horses  were  imported  from  Persia  in  1689,  as  well  as 
Litchtenstein's  mentioning  of  an  Arab  stallion  at  anotlier  large 
stud  costing  its  owner  over  3000  ''tlialer"'  proves  that  more  stal- 
lions from  Arabia  and  Persia  wei'e  imported  after  1689  and  before 
1782.  In  1799  McCall  Theal  remarks  in  his  "History  of  South 
Africa"  tliat  "a  fairlj^  good  horse  for  either  the  saddle  or  the  trace 
was  now  common  and  there  was  a  healthy  spirit  of  competition  and 
rivalry — especiall}*  among  the  young  men  as  to  who  sliall  have  the 
best  *****  anything  tending  to  improve  horses  and  cattle  was 
met  with  general- approbation, " 

With  a  foundation  stock  sound  in  limb,  bone  and  constitution, 
with  the  hardiness,  endurance  and  stamina  of  two  centuries  handed 
down  to  them,  the  intelligent  horse-breeder  could  have  accomplished 
much  in  the  19th  century  when  some  of  the  best  English  "blood 
horses"  M'ere  imported;  and  what  they  have  achieved  makes  the 
regret  of  the  loss  of  it  all  the  keener. 

The  18th  century  opened  with  the  capture  of  certain  Spanish 
stallions  on  board  a  hpstile  vessel."'^     They  must  have  been  of  high 

(57)  Archieves  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  (one  rixdollar  equals  4  shillings  or 

approximately  1  dollar  United  States  money.) 

(58)  Sir  James  Barrow  '' Travels  in  South  Africa"  1797-98. 

(59)  George  McCall  Theal  "History  of  South  Africa  after  1795."     Vol.  I. 

29 


breeding  for  with  Cape  mares  they  bred  true  to  the  type  and  hun- 
dreds of  their  progeny  were  found  all  over  the  Colony  within  half 
a  century  and  were  known  as  ''Cape  Greys"  during  the  end  of  the 
last  century. 

Individual  efforts  were  made  to  improve  the  stocks  of  cattle, 
horses  and  sheep ;  the  government  lent  aid  to  these  endeavorers  but 
nothing  officially  was  done.  In  1800  the  first  "Society  for  the  en- 
couragement of  agriculture,  arts  and  sciences  was  caused  to  be  es- 
tablished; but  beyond  talking  this  society  did  nothing."*"'  The 
society  was,  liowever,  amply  supplied  with  cattle,  horses  and  slaves, 
but  somehow  all  turned  out  a  failure.  In  1804,  another  attempt 
was  made  with  greater  success ;  25,3091/2  acres  of  government  land 
was  alloted  to  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  which  was  for  the  first 
time  added  to  the  government.  A  number  of  the  best  breeds  of 
cows  were  purchased  and  a  pure  bred  bull  from  Europe  as  well  as 
another  of  the  same  breed,  given  as  a  present  were  added.  A  small 
flock  of  the  first  Merino  sheep  at  the  Cape  with  a  majority  of  rams 
and  some  Hantam  mares  improved  by  crosses  with  imported  Eng- 
lish horses  were  also  purchased  and  Mr.  van  Reyneveld  who  owned 
a  handsome  stallion  allowed  the  use  of  it  gratis.  Government  Farms 
— it  would  be  more  correct  to  call  them  "Stud  Farms" — were 
erected  at  several  suitable  places.®^ 

In  the  Cape  Gazette  of  1823  we  find  that  at  such  and  such  a 
stud  farm,  English  stallions  stood  at  stud  for  6  rix  dollars  per  mare. 
At  the  Grote  Post  farm,  stood : 

Walton  (4  yrs.)  (Walton-Musidora)  bred  by  H.  R.  H.  Duke 
of  York. 

Vanguard  (6  yrs.)  (Haphazard)  bred  by  Duke  of  Grafton. 
Vanguard  won  the  King's  Plate  at  Winchester,  1820,  beating  Eu- 
phrates and  Merryweather,  both  great  winners. 

The  records  of  the  Cape  Colony  for  the  year  1823  remarks  that 
"Mr.  van  Reenen  the  former  proprietor  of  the  estates  at  the  Han- 
tam, had  under  the  Dutch  government  paid  much  attention  to  his 
breed  of  horses  and  had  increased  their  number  as  well  as  their 
value."  He  sold  to  Mr.  Louw  10  mares  for  £1126.15,  and  1100 
sheep  for  £563.8. 

The  van  Reenen  Bros,  are  frequently  met  with  in  writings  and 

(60)  George  McCall  Theal  "History  of  Sotith  Africa  after  1795. ' '     Vol-  I. 

(61)  Eecords  of  the  Cape  Colony.     Vol.  XV, 

30 


accounts  of  agricultural  pursuits  in  South  Africa  during  the  18th 
century.  They  owned  large  studs  each  from  300-400  horses  in 
the  best  grazing  districts  (Malmesbury  and  North  Cape  Colony — 
New  and  Old  Hantam — Calvinia,  Hanover  and  Colesberg.)'""  Their 
exertions  have  undoubtedly  done  much  for  the  ennobling  of  the 
breed  of  horsesyin  the  Colony,  and  especially  of  the  Hantam  type  to 
which  almost  all  the  farmers  turned  for  their  stallions. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  18tli  century  there  was  a  steady 
influx  of  Thoroughbred  blood.  The  imported  stallions  were  sold  to 
the  best  breeders  or  buyers.  Many  of  the  best  found  their  way  to 
the  Hantam  studs  and  its  okl  reputation  was  kept  up  and  the  stand- 
ard highly  improved.  A  certain  farmer  rode  400  miles  on  horse- 
back with  a  saddlebag  full  of  money  to  buy  Turpin."^ 

Considerable  improvement  has  been  made  in  the  development 
of  horse-breeding  since  the  importation  of  Thoroughbred  stallions 
as  has  been  proved  by  numerous  letters  in  reply  to  a  cireular  sent 
out  by  Lord  Charles  Somerset  to  those  farmers  wlio  bought  of  the 
horses  imported. 

To  get  an  idea  of  this  great  impetus  the  breed  of  horses  received 
it  would  be  necessary  to  pursue  some  of  these  replies  to  the  gover- 
nor's circular  asking  what  effect  the  using  of  Thoroughbreds  as 
sires  has  had  on  their  studs  and  in  their  incomes. 

Letters  from  Mr.  D.  van  Reenen  to  Capt.  Hare  Aid-de-camp 
to  H.  E.  the  Governor,  dated  Sept,  28,  1825.''* 

"Sir: — In  answer  to  your  inquiry  made  by  desire  of  II.  E..  the  Gov- 
ernor whether  the  breeding  of  horses  has  been  a  profitable  specu- 
lation to  my  father  since  the  purchase  of  English  stallions.  I  have 
the  honor  to  inform  you  that  my  family  were  known  to  have  been 
the  first  breeders  of  horses  in  the  Colony  and  consequently  likely 
to  pursue  the  best  methods. 

About  nine  years  ago  we  thought  it  expedient  to  purchase  two 
English  stallions  since  when  our  annual  profit  from  breeding  horses 
has  been  two-thirds  greater,  a  proof  of  the  benefit  derived  by  the 
introduction  of  English  blood  stallions.  Allow  me  to  inform  you 
that  horse-breeding  is  now  a  more  lucrative  employment  than  any 
other  description  of  agriculture  ******  rpj^^  following 
extract  from  my  books  will  serve  to  verify  my  assertion. 

(62)  Litchtenstein — Georqe  McCall  Thcal — Eccords  of  C.  C,  etc- 

(63)  D.  Eutclieon  M.  E.  C.  V.  S.  in  Agr.  Journ.  of  C.  C.  Vol.  XXXIII. 

(64)  Records  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XVII. 

31 


''1824.  Sold  6  horses  for  4000  Risdollars. 
2  horses  for  1700  Rixdollars 
1  horse    for       850  Rixdollars 

1  horse    for       SCO  Rixdollars 

2  horses  for  1800  Rixdollars 
21  horses  for  5250  Rixdollars 
36  horses  for  14400  Rixdollars 

The  amount  of  36  horses  previous  to  introduction  of  the  Eng- 
lish blood  stallions=5400  Rixdollars. "  (1  Rixdollar=  one  shilling 
and  sixpence). 

William  Proctor  writes : — ' '  I  purchased  8  thoroughbred  mares 
for  £2500  also  3  thoroughbred  stallions  for  £350,  £400  and  4500 
Rixdollars.  My  profits  in  horse-breedinf  amounted  to  100,000  Rix- 
dollars and  my  profit  from  Yaffil  (4500  Rds.)  alone  exceeded  29,000 
Rixdollars  independent  to  my  having  20  Thoroughbred  fillies  got 
by  him  out  of  my  English  mares.  I  have  a  colt  from  Yaffil  for 
which  I  frequently  refused  3500  rixdollars." 

To  Lord  Charles  is  due  the  honor  for  opening  up  and  develop- 
ing this  valuable  branch  of  our  farming.  In  1816  he  writes  to  the 
Earl  of  Bathurst :  "Next  to  the  export  of  wine  I  conceive  the  soil 
most  calculated  for  the  export  of  horses  and  were  a  market  once 
rendered  it  might  in  a  few  years  be  carried  to  an  extent  quite  un- 
limited."^^ In  the  meantime  he  exerted  himself  in  encouraging 
horse-breeding  in  the  Colony  and  in  finding  a  good  market.  In 
the  following  year  he  could  write  to  the  Secretary  of  State  that  he 
is  "on  the  eve  of  closing  a  bargain  to  export  annually  400  horses  for 
the  Madras  calvary  exclusive  of  a  proportion  better  horses  for  the 
officers.  This  (as  the  freight  will  be  paid  here)  will  bring,  I  cal- 
culate, about  £24,000  per  annum  into  the  Colony  for  an  article  of 
which,  till  I  came,  there  was  no  export.  ""^^ 

Lord  Charles  once  having  grasped  the  situation  took  the  lead 
himself  and  financed  the  first  batch  of  34  Thoroughbreds  from  Eng- 
land and  although  he  lost  heavilj^,  as  will  be  shown,  he  persevered 
until  he  left  the  land  where  every  horse-breeder  will  remember  him 
with  gratitude  and  admiration. 

Of  the  34  horses  imported  11  died  at  sea,  2  died  after  landing, 
he  gave  one  to  Mr.  Cloete,  one  remained  unsold  and  19  were  sold  for 

(65)  Hecords  of  Cape  Colony,  Vol.  XVII.     1816. 

(66)  Becords  of  Cape  Colony,  Vol.  XVII.     1816. 

32 


£8051.5;  thus  losing  one  the  whole  transaction  £5548. 15.'"'  This 
did  in  no  wise  discourage  him  as  was  shown  in  the  previous  part 
of  this  chapter  things  progressed  rapidly  and  the  breeding  from 
Thoroughbreds  as  sires  became  predominant.  Another  incidence 
that  gave  Lord  Charles'  India  Trade  a  great  impetus  was  that  dur- 
ing this  time  a  number  of  Indian  Nabobs  flocked  to  the  Cape,  then 
highly  esteemed  as  a  health  resort.  "The  Cape  horse  was  sufficient- 
ly attractive  to  draw  their  attention  and  the  Nabobs,  lavish  in  dis- 
pensing the  golden  mohurs,  paid  very  high  prices  and  took  many 
horses  back  as  chargers  and  hacks,  they  being  the  best  of  their  class 
and  able  to  stand  the  trying  Indian  climate  better  than  the  English 
Thoroughbred,  they  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indian  Gov- 
ernment authorities  to  the  advantages  of  the  Cape  as  a  field  for  pro- 
curing remounts  from.  With  what  results  we  have  already  shown 
and  may  add  that  5482  horses  and  198  mules  to  the  value  of  £215,645 
were  bought  in  South  Africa  for  the  various  campaigns  in  the  In- 
dian Mutiny. '"'^ 

At  this  time  1810,  Australia  also  imported  her  first  horses  from 
South  Africa  and  became  indebted  to  that  country  for  the  first 
horses  that  ever  trod  her  soil.  The  animals,  according  to  a  contem- 
porary writer  in  Australia,  appear  to  have  been  obtained  without 
selection  and  to  have  been  poor  specimens.'""  In  an  enclosure  in 
one  of  Lord  Charles'  letters  it  is  stated  that  "Capt.  Thomas  took 
out  28  horses  to  Australia  in  1826  and  lost  14. ' '  The  Captain  cer- 
tainly made  a  good  selection  as  at  this  period  "a  vast  improvement 
has  been  affected  in  the  general  quality  of  the  Cape  Horse. ' '" " 

Thus  began  an  industry  in'  Australia  that  in  1860  perfectly 
outranged  the  South  African  trade  in  remounts  for  India  and  has 
kept  the  lead  ever  since,  pocketing  the  larger  part  of  one  and  a 
quarter  million  pounds  sterling  annually. 

Another  factor  that  has  done  much  in  the  development  of  horse- 
breeding  is  racing.  More  fully  will  be  dwelt  on  this  phase  of  the 
industry  in  its  particular  character.  It  may,  however,  be  remarked 
that  with  the  Thoroughbred  came  also  that  grandest  and  best  of  tests 
for  stamina,  quality  of  bone  and  tendon,  constitution  and  tempera- 
ment— the  race  course. 

(67)  Becords  of  Cape  Colony,  Vol.  XVII.     1816. 

(68)  Lt.  Cal.  Apperley.     Cape  Conthly,  Vol  VII. 

(69)  Athuson  1824  by  Grey  Rattray  in  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Union  of 

South  Africa,  Vol  VIII. 

(70)  Records  of  the  Cape  Colony  1826. 

33 


From  the  various  accounts  is  established  that  the  South  African 
bred  Thoroughbred  and  even  half-bred  could  hold  his  own  to  many 
of  the  imported  horses.  Campfire  in  the  3rd  generation,  through 
Stockwell's  stock  by  Blair  Athol  proved  that  the  South  African 
Thorouglibred  is  equal  in  every  way  to  the  Thoroughbred  of  Eng- 
land. He  distinguished  himself  greatly  in  England  in  1904,  and 
now  stands  there  at  stud.'^ 

A  large  amount  of  nniners  and  winners  on  the  South  African 
Turf  hailed  from  the  Ilantam  districts  and  in  every  way  proved 
their  efficiency  also  0)i  the  race  course.  Some  of  the  young  horses 
entered  were  taken  from  the  veld,  and  with  indifferent  training  were 
sent  on  the  course,  not  so  much  for  the  gaining  of  the  prizes  but 
for  the  sport  and  "to  teach  ajul  harden  them  and  test  their  merit" 
as  the  farmers  would  say. 

Often  these  veld-hardejied  colts  would  get  the  better  of  the 
trained  horses  of  the  towns. 

From  a  casual  observer  in  "Life  at  the  Cape"  (by  a  lady  1862) 
the  following  remarks  are  recorded:  "The  racing  was  compara- 
tively poor,  the  horses  slight  and  few  in  number  and  not  particu- 
larly well  trained — but,  what  astonished  us  was  to  see  a  rough  little 
shooting  pony  called  "Gazelle"  carry  off  the  Queen's  Plate  from  a 
noble  English  horse  and  this  in  spite  of  the  very  fine  riding  of  an 
old  English  jockey  against  a  weazened  little  Hottentot."  Instances 
of  this  kind  may  be  multiplied. 

During  the  years  1835—39  something  happeiied  that  upset  the 
agricultural  as  well  as  the  administrative  affairs  of  the  Colony  to 
a  great  extent ;  but  at  the  same  time  opened  up  new  lands  in  the 
unknown  interior  and  resulted  in  filling  new  pastures  with  large 
flocks  of  sheep,  cattle  and  horses.  Owing  to  the  foolish  and  in- 
consistent acts  of  the  Home  government  thousands  of  farmers,  whose 
continued  appeals  for  redress  in  gross  mismanagement,  oppressive 
rules  and  acts  of  injustice  were  ignored,  left  their  farms  and  home- 
steads and  joined  in  the  great  "Trek"  over  the  borders  of  the  Col- 
ony. Statistics  are  very  unreliable  as  to  the  numbers,  for  there  were 
many  groups  on  diff'erent  routes ;  the  number  is  estimated  at  8000- 
10000.'-  For  about  twenty  years  they  continually  moved  about. 
Several  small  republics  were  established  and  periods  of  several 

(71)  Charles  Souihcij.     Natal  Agr.  Jour.  Vol  XT.— 1910. 

(72)  George  McCall  Thcal —History  of  South  Africa  After  1705 


years  of  peace  in  between  were  generally  followed  with  great  suc- 
cess in  horse-breeding  and  raising  of  stock.  Horse-breeding,  owing 
to  their  continuous  moving,  hunting  and  fighting  was  given  great 
attention  and  Remount  officers  for  the  Indian  Army  found  in  1854 
many  good  specimens  beyond  the  Orange  river  J" 

These  horses  are  described  as  large  and  fine.  For  fresh  blood 
the  farmers  depended  on  the  large  studs  of  the  Hantam.  The 
studs  of  the  van  ZylVs,  Theunissen's,  Louw's,  Robertson's  and 
others  were  very  famous.  Thoroughbred  stallions  bought  from  the 
Government  were  sold  to  the  Orange  Free  State  farmers  and  so 
keen  have  they  been  to  possess  them  that  farmers  in  the  Colony 
were  prohibited  to  sell  any  imported  stallions  to  the  Orange  Free 
State  farmers  before  the  period  of  two  years  after  they  have  pos- 
sessed them  has  expired. 

The  Hantam  studs  at  that  period  possessed  very  good  quality. 
Amongst  others  were  such  worthies  as  Sir  Hercules  imported  in 
utero  and  true  son  of  the  Great  Irish  horse  of  the  same  name,  Sor- 
cerer, War  Eagle,  Evenus,  Turpin,  Sir  Amyas  Leigh  and  Cham- 
pagne Charlie.  Damascus  (Arab)  by  brood  mares  of  %  thorough- 
bred blood  made  Mr.  van  Zyl  famous  as  a  successful  breeder  of  race 
horses.  The  mare  Witkous  by  Damascus  bred  to  Express  the  fol- 
lowing winners :  Sir  Reuben,  Prince  Alexis,  Good  Hope,  Rob  Roy, 
Hantam  Belle  and  Bonnie  Lassie  dam  of  tlie  winners  and  breeders 
Hardcash  and  Prosecutor.  "These  were  all  good  winners  and 
could  stay  forever.  All  these  along  with  Pearl  Diver  and  many 
more  produced  progemy  that  could  be  on  a  par  v;ith  those  of  any 
other  country.""* 

In  those  days  the  great  breeders  were  determined  to  have  the 
best  and  paid  up  to  £600  (3000  dollars)  and  more  for  good  stal- 
lions. Thoroughbreds,  with  plenty  of  bone,  great  size  and  good  rec- 
ord. With  sires  of  this  class  and  the  veld  everything  to  be  desired 
it  is  no  wonder  that  good  animals  were  bred.^^ 

The  various  means  of  conveyance  and  transportation  with  the 
attendant  effect  on  horse-breeding  deserve  a  few  remarks. 

One  of  the  first  undertakings  of  every  colonising  settlement  is 
the  creation  of  an  efficient  system  of  transportation  and  means  of 

(73)  Blue  Bools  of  185S.     Papers  Btkding  to  Purchase  of  Morses  at  the  Cape 

of  Good  Hope  for  Cavalry  and  Artillery  Service  in  the  Colony  and  India. 

(74)  The  Agri.  Journal  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XXVI. 

(75)  The  Agri.  Journal  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XXVI. 

35 


travelling,  and  in  this  South  Africa  has  gradually  accomplished  a 
great  deal. 

The  first  colonists  found  with  the  natives  the  pack-ox  as  the 
only  beast  of  burden,  especially  selected  ones  were  also  used  for 
riding  and  racing. 

The  Boers  introduced  the  ancient  germanic  traveling  wagon, 
with  which  their  ancestors — the  Climbers  and  Teutons  crossed  the 
Roman  boundaries.^'"'  This  cumbrous  and  unwieldy  wagon  was  a 
real  treasure  to  the  sturdy  pioneer  of  old,  it  did  a  three  fold  duty  of 
home,  conveyance  and  fort.  It  was  drawn  by  8  to  10  pairs  of  oxen 
and  how  the  formidable  mountain  passes  were  crossed  with  such 
transport  remains  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  who  behold 
the  ancient  tracks  across  the  mountain  sides.  For  about  two  cen- 
turies the  ox-wagon  has  been  the  chief  mode  of  conveyance  and  has 
identified  itself  so  much  with  the  nation's  history  that  it  was  given 
a  place  of  honor  in  the  coat-of-arms  of  both   the  old  republics. 

Good  roads  were  first  made  in  1844,'^  and  were  soon  followed 
by  bridges  and  mountain  passes  at  great  (*osts.  To-day  the  Union 
is  threaded  with  a  network  of  excellent  roads. 

As  the  settlement  increased  and  spread  out,  other  means  of 
transport  and  locomotion  were  called  for,  and  it  is  this  necessity 
that  has  largely  caused  the  production  of  the  Cape  Horse  and  its 
unequaled  qualities  and  capabilities  as  a  riding  horse.  Outlying 
districts  like  Graaf-Reinet,  Calvinia,  Hantam  and  Swellendam  some 
300-400  miles  from  Cape  Town  all  required  more  sei*ous  communi- 
cation to  be  done  on  horse-back.  This  called  for  sturdy  horses 
with  great  endurance  and  stamina  and  with  continual  hunting  ex- 
peditions and  frequent  wars  these  qualities  were  perfected. 

During  the  middle  of  the  18th  century,  owing  to  better  roads 
and  greater  safety  of  life  and  property,  the  "Horse  wagon"  made 
its  appearance.  Burchell  travelling  in  South  Africa  in  1822  in 
describing  a  Race  meeting  he  attended  makes  the  following  remarks 
on  the  equipages :  ' '  Vehicles  of  every  description  from  the  elegant 
built  London  carriage  of  the  Governor  and  the  antiquated  Dutch 
calash  and  the  light  jolting  '  paarde-wagen '  are  seen  about  *  *  *  * 
the  'paarde-wagen'  is  a  light  waggon  drawn  by  6  or  8  horses  and 
used  more  frequently  for  the  conveyance  of  persons  than  for  the 

(76)  H.  Kloessel.     "Die   SudafriJcanische  Eepubliek."     Leipzig   1890. 

(77)  Cohort  Wallace.     Farming  Industries  of  the  Cape  colony     1916. 


carrying  of  loads,  which  are  left  for  the  'ossewagen'.  The  paarde- 
wageii  is  in  fact  the  colonists  waggon  of  pleasure."'®  A  few  re- 
marks from  a  contemporaneous  English  writer  on  the  efficiency  of 
this  part  of  horse  breeding  would  not  be  out  of  place  here.  Remark  ■ 
ing  on  the  driving  and  teams  he  writes  that ' '  The  Four-in-hand  Club 
must  not  assume  to  itself  the  least  precedency.  They  are  compar- 
atively children  in  the  profession  and  would  shrink  before  a  boer, 
who  in  an  instant  would  get  his  team  in  hand  and  trotting  them  in 
various  directions  with  the  greatest  dexterity  and  completeness  *  *  * 
In  truth,  nothing  would  surprise  an  English  coachman  more,  than 
the  sight  and  action  of  the  pleasure  waggon  of  a  boer  with  its  usual 
appointments  in  spirited  horses,  driver,  and  well-painted  waggon. ' '' -' 

Lichtenstein  also  very  graphically  describes  pleasure  trips  in 
such  wagons  and  praises  the  dexterit.y  and  skill  of  the  average 
driver  as  far  above  anything  he  has  seen  and  known  in  Europe. 
More  recently  Sir  James  Bryce  in  his  "Impressions  of  South  Af- 
rica" also  amongst  others  expressed  himself  with  admiration  on  the 
excellent  equipages  and  the  splendid  driving  be  it  in  the  city  or  the 
country. 

The  horse-wagon  was  followed  and  ultimately  superceded  by 
the  Cape  cart,  a  perfectly  home  made  article  used  both  as  a  means 
of  speedy  travelling  and  as  a  carriage  of  pleasure.  The  Cape  cart 
and  its  pair  is  a  great  factor  in  the  maintenance  of  the  efficiency  of 
of  our  horses.  However  poor  a  small  farmer  may  be  he  will  not 
consider  himself  of  any  standing  unless  he  is  the  proud  possessor 
of  an  excellent  pair  of  certain  pedigree, — generally  a  certain  breed- 
er 's  name  supply  this.  The  possession  of  an  excellent  riding  horse 
and  a  shooting  pony  is  a  sine  qua  non  in  the  farming  equipment  of 
even  the  smallest  farmer. 

The  Cape  cart  holds  its  own,  even  against  the  ever  increasing 
motor  traffic,  for  in  a  sura  total  of  pleasure,  convenience,  and  ele- 
gance it  would  be  hard  to  find  any  conveyance  to  beat  the  Cape  cart 
and  a  well  trained  and  selected  pair.  The  good  horse,  wisely  with- 
drawn from  hopeless  competition  and  kept  within  proper  spheres 
of  activity,  which  are  plentiful  in  South  Africa,  need  have  no  fear 
of  total  defeat. 

The  periodic  visitations  of  "Horse  Sickness"  seemed  to  have 

(78)  William  Burchell  "Travels  in  the  Interior  of  South  Africa."     1822. 

(79)  William  Wilierforce  "State  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1822.     London 

1823. 

37- 


increased  with  the  number  of  horses,  perhaps  owing  to  the  large 
number  owned  by  individual  farmers  less  care  was  accorded  the 
troop  than  when  good  horses  were  scarcer.  Towards  the  middle  of 
the  last  century  about  the  fourth  of  the  total  number  of  horses  were 
swept  away.  It  is  quite  obvious  that  these  losses  worked  very  dis- 
couragingly  on  horse  breeders.  A  period  of  indifference  in  the 
matter  of  horse  breeding  set  in.  Merino  sheep  and  Angora  goat 
farming  and  subsequently  Ostrich  farming  absorbed  much  attention 
and  were  more  remunerative  than  horse  breeding.  The  trade  with 
India  in  remounts  was  lost  to  Australia  and  for  the  remaining  part 
of  the  century  the  horse  material  was  gradually  deteriorating  and 
the  industry  declined. 

(c)  DECLINE. 

On  no  particular  phase  of  the  history  of  horse  breeding  has  so 
much  been  written  in  South  Africa  as  on  its  deterioration  and  the 
methods  to  be  followed  in  order  to  regain  the  old  standard  and  high 
reputation.  There  are  some  very  voluminous  Bluebooks'^^  that 
should  be  carefully  perused  by  every  horse  breeder  in  the  Union. 
They  are  those  containing  the  "Papers  relating  to  the  purchase  of 
horses  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  for  cavalry  and  artillery  service 
in  the  Colony  and  India"  and  "Additional, Papers  relating  to  the 
supply  of  remounts  for  the  British  Army  in  India."  These  highly 
interesting  Papers  are  spiced  with  numerous  Reports  of  Select  Com- 
mittees and  Appendices  dealing  with  the  most  important  aspects  of 
the  Industry.  The  best  ones  date  back  to  the  year  1875  and  up  to 
the  year  1898  ;  the  years  when  horse  breeding  was  rapidly  declining. 

The  perusal  of  a  bona  fide  Bluebook  is  certainly  not  a  pleasant 
affair,  one  struggles  through  it  and  often  comes  away  from  it  not 
much  the  wiser  and  probably  a  sadder  man ;  but  many  a  good  lesson 
and  warning  of  the  past  can  be  obtained  from  these  Bluebooks. 

It  is  gathered  from  these  and  other  sources  that  the  decline  of 
horse  breeding  can  be  ascribed  to  several  great  causes;  some  cer- 
tainly were  beyond  the  control  of  the  farmers,  but  others  reflect 
much  to  their  discredit. 

One  of  the  chief  causes  of  deterioration  may  be  attributed  to 

(81)  The  official  Notes,  Proceedings  and  Reports  to  Parliament  are  printed  in 
quarter  volumes  and  kept  in  the  Parliament  Archives.  Copies  are  also 
kept  at  the  High  Commissioner's  Office  in  London. 

38 


the  breeding  from  inferior  stallions.  Since  1860  there  has  been  a 
desire  to  breed  from  Thoroughbreds  only.  Unfortunately  the  stand- 
ard of  earlier  breeders  was  lost  sight  of;  a  fashionable  pedigree 
was  insisted  upon  with  utter  disregard  of  bone,  power  and  other 
desirable  qualities ;  all  was  sacrificed  for  blood  and  a  very  inferior 
animal  was  obtained,  which  was  fittingly  branded  by  the  more  in- 
telligent breeders  as  "blood  weeds." 

In  the  company  they  met  with  at  the  Cape  these  "blood  weeds" 
had  some  success  on  the  race  course  and  were  sought  for  as  breeders 
and  in  this  way  they  spread  their  harmful  influences  far  and  wide 
over  the  land.  Their  offspring  could  not  stand  the  tear  and  wear 
of  the  veld  conditions  so  well  as  those  of  the  sires  of  previous  gen- 
erations, in  which  plenty  of  bone,  girth,  size  and  good  conformation 
had  to  be  on  a  par  with  good  pedigree  and  race  course  record  in 
order  to  be  eligible  for  breeders.  The  progeny  of  these  peacocky 
and  weedy  sires  soon  convinced  the  farmers  of  their  illusions  and 
a  great  attempt  was  made  to  rectify  their  blunders. 

A  select  Committee  of  the  best  breeders  was  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate matters.  The  various  possible  causes  for  the  deterioration 
of  the  breed  were  investigated  and  it  was  found  that  want  of  size 
was  the  most  common  failure  and  general  complaint  of  tlie  remount 
officers  in  India.  Any  large  breed  of  animals  decreases  in  size, 
unless  supplied  with  abundance  of  food  and  unless  a  stream  of 
fresh  blood  of  the  best  strain  is  infused  into  the  original  stock  from 
time  to  time.  The  deterioration  in  size  is  more  true  of  the  progeny 
of  half-bred  sires  than  of  pure-bred  ones. 

The  several  breeds  of  horses,  pure-breds  as  well  as  half-breds 
were  considered  with  the  view  to  select  the  best  sore  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  fast  declining  breed.  The  average  Cape  mare  has  breed- 
ing enough  and  the  half-breed  sire  does  not  breed  true  to  type  and 
the  transmission  of  size,  for  which  he  will  mainly  be  used  will  not 
be  so  permanent  and  reliable  as  is  desired.  The  pure-breds  that 
were  considered  the  best  were  the  Arab  and  the  Thoroughbred  and 
even  the  Arab  although  one  of  the  best  possible  sires  was  put  out  of 
the  field  on  the  argument  that  after  all  it  was  not  so  much  quality 
that  was  wanted  but  size  and  this  he  could  not  supply. 

The  Thoroughbred  was  pointed  out  as  the  best  sire.  His  bones 
are  firmer  and  more  compact  in  their  texture,  his  musides  are  of 
finer  quality  and  comparatively  greater  power,  his  heart  is  larger 

39 


and  nervous  system,  power  of  endurance  much  more  highly  de- 
veloped. The  best  type  of  Thoroughbred  implies  that  the  animal  is 
possessed  of  superior  qualities  of  every  description  and  his  power 
of  transmitting  these  qualities  to  his  offspring  surpasses  that  of  any 
other  breed  of  horses.  All  these  qualities  combined  with  an  excel- 
lent Turf  record,  good  pedigree,  great  weight,  and  size — 15^2-16 
hands,  would  point  out  the  sire  required;  but  this  ideal  type  is, 
even  in  England,  a  not  too  common  one  and  they  are  often  sold  at 
prices  beyond  the  dreams  of  averice;  still  a  King's  premium  horse 
will  come  as  near  to  this  type  as  possible  and  would  cost  at  least 
£1000  to  £2000  and  since  this  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  average 
farmer  and  can  be  supplied  by  the  Government  only  to  a  limited 
extent,  the  Committee  had  to  turn  its  attention  to  other  breeds.  Of 
the  lighter  pure-breds  that  came  into  consideration  were  the  Cleve- 
lands  and  Hackneys. 

In  the  meantime  the  farmers  showed  the  tendency  of  going  to 
the  opposite  extreme,  by  introducing  big  cart-horse  half-breds  to 
their  light  %  bred  Thoroughbred  maress ;  the  offspring  was  as  could 
be  expected  unsymmetrical  brutes,  wanting  in  almost  all  the  qual- 
ities that  are  essential  in  a  good  riding  or  carriage  horse. 

The  sire  that  was  ultimately  decided  upon  as  the  best  first 
instalment  was  the  Hackney ;  because  he  will  tend  to  increase  the 
size,  bone,  and  substance  of  the  breeding  stock.  The  offspring, 
when  mated  with  a  first  class  Thoroughbred,  will  produce  an  ex- 
cellent type  of  horse ;  for  if  the  right  kind  of  Thoroughbred  can 
be  obtained  and  paid  for,  he  would  be  found  equal  in  size  and  sub- 
stance to  a  great  many  of  the  best  Hackneys  and  above  all  in  such 
qualities  as  temperament,  endurance  and  stamnia  he  stands  pre- 
eminent. 

On  the  recommendation  of  this  Committee  the  Government  sent 
an  experienced  and  responsible  buyer  to  buy  the  desired  type  of 
Hackney.  In  1888  eight  very  good  Hackneys  and  one  Norfolk 
Roadster  were  imported  and  placed  at  the  several  stud  farms.  The 
average  price  was  £272  and  the  farmers  made  very  good  use  of  them. 
On  the  average  each  stallion  covered  33  mares.  Altogether  the 
Government  imported  up  to  this  date  and  since  1860  some  30  stal- 
lions, mostly  Hackneys,  and  each  year  they  served  an  increasing 
number  of  mares. 

At  the  same  time  there  was  a  strong  taste  for  Clevelands  and 

40 


a  goodly  number  were  imported  by  private  individuals  and  specu- 
lators; but  this  enterprise  fell  into  the  background  almost  un- 
noticed, and  was  kept  up  by  very  few  breeders. 

The  Hackneys  found  great  favor  with  the  farmers  and  breeders 
and  the  Government  was  persuaded  to  import  another  batch  of 
selected  stallions  and  requested  that  they  should  not  be  chestnuts 
and  at  least  16  hands  high.  The  government  promised  to  consider 
these  points  and  Dr.  Hutcheon,  Chief  Veterinary  Surgeon  was  sent 
to  England  to  buy  Hackneys.  It  was  difficult  enough  to  get  the 
proper  type  of  sire  and  to  get  this  type  in  fast  colors  was  not  an 
easy  matter  for  the  color  of  the  breed  is  chestnut.  The  great  breed- 
ers and  sellers  also  looked  upon  the  Government  buyer  as  a  good 
milch  cow  for  they  knew  he  had  to  get  these  horses  within  a  certain 
time;  yet  Dr.  Hutcheon  managed  to  bring  out  28  Hackneys  all 
above  15i/^  hands  and  with  fast  colors,  at  the  average  price  of  £232 
which  was  even  lower  than  that  of  the  previous  year  although  the 
quality  was  in  every  respect  as  good.  Since  then  Hackneys  were 
great  favorites  with  most  of  the  great  horse  breeders  in  the  Southern 
districts  of  the  Cape  Province.  In  1891  the  Government  once  more 
officially  imported  a  batch  of  the  best  Hackney  stallions.  Cleveland 
Bays  and  Roadsters  were  given  fair  trials  too ;  but  their  success 
has  been  variable  and  partial. 

In  spite  of  these  improvements  the  Indian  Trade  has  slipped 
from  our  hands  for  good  in  favor  of  Australia  where  great  care  has 
been  bestowed  on  horse-breeding  since  the  first  importations  from 
the  Cape  in  1815  to  1825.  Great  studs  also  sprung  up  all  over  In- 
dia, which  supplied  some  of  the  required  remounts  in  quantity  at 
least  if  not  quality.  The  same  can  be  said  of  the  Australians  which 
were  thoroughly  condemmed  by  several  commanding  officers  as  be- 
ing totally  unfit  for  campaigning. 

As  was  frequent  in  those  days  in  matters  of  trade  the  Indian 
Trade  in  remounts  became  enveloped  in  the  underhand  dealings 
of  the  middle  man,  who  favored  his  own  private  ends  at  the  expense 
of  larger  and  more  important  communities. 

The  results  of  these  trade  scandals  are  often  quoted  as  the  chief 
reason  for  the  decline  of  horse-breeding  in  South  Africa.  Since 
they  happened  about  the  same  time  as  the  importation  of  worthless 
stallions  they  certainly  added  force  to  the  rolling  stone. 

The  first  horses  for  military  service  in  India  were  exported  in 

4X 


1769  and  ever  since  fresh  supplies  had  been  drawn  from  the  Cape 
Colony.  During  the  years  1840-60  Indian  Army  Authorities  sta- 
tioned a  recruiting  officer  in  the  Colony,  who  had  to  select  and  buy 
up  such  numbers  as  were  required  for  service  in  India.  Several  of 
these  men,  Col.  Apperley,  Lt.  Col.  Richardson,  Major  Baker  and 
others  became  intimately  connected  with  all  matters  relating  to 
horse-breeding  iii  the  Colony  and  easily  managed  with  some  exertion 
to  send  out  horses  that  were  selected  by  themselves  and  were  quite 
fit  for  cavalry  and  artillery  work.  Their  successors,  however,  lived 
in  the  cities  and  were  contented  to  buy  horses  at  exorbitant  prices 
from  numerous  speculators — it  is  surprising  to  find  what  lot  of 
harm  these  middle  men,  the  speculators,  have  done  to  the  industry; 
they  were  perfect  fiends  and  it  is  only  to  be  hoped  that  the  average 
farmer  has  taken  his  warning ;  for  of  all  trade  mongers  the  unscrup- 
ulous horse  dealer  is  certainly  the  worst. 

At  this  rate  it  is  ciuite  obvious  that  inferior  animals  were  ob- 
tained for  the  Indian  Army  and  this  procedure  had  its  bad  effects 
both  ways, 

Lt.  Col.  Bower  in  criticizing  this  method  and  approving  of  the 
sensible  ways  adopted  by  previous  officers  relates  an  incident  he 
had  when  buying  remounts,  which  will  explain  the  farmer's  share 
in  this  bad  business  apart  from  his  grevious  mistake  of  breeding 
from  inferior  stallions ;  for  their  harmful  effect  could  not  have 
been  too  rapid  in  a  stock  which  had  a  due  proportion  of  the  best 
Thoroughbred  and  Arab  blood  infused  into  their  veins  for  the  last 
two  centuries. 

He  had  the  good  sense  to  select  the  horses  himself  and  remarks 
that  the  "duty  of  a  Remount  agent  at  the  Cape  is  an  arduous  one, 
he  should  be  gifted  with  the  leather  of  a  post  boy  and  the  patience 
of  Job."  In  company  of  Major  le  Marchant  they  came  across  a 
farm  where  the  farmer  said  he  had  no  horses  to  sell ;  after  they  had 
ofE-saddled  Bower  asked  to  be  shown  over  the  stables  and  found 
"ten  uncanningly  neat  bay  geldings."  On  pressing  for  a  sale  of 
these,  the  farmer  replied:  "Oh,  these  are  my  span  (waggon  team), 
and  are  not  for  sale."  The  horses  were  subsequently  trotted  out 
and  five  were  noted  as  fit  for  troopers.  A  second  span  was  brought 
up  from  the  veld  and  four  were  picked  and  after  "some  amount  of 
coquettry  nine  good  horses  were  added  to  the  roll  of  the  7th,  Bra- 
goon  Guards," 

42 


''After  this  specimen  of  real  or  feigned  indifference  of  a  Cape 
boer  (Dutch  farmer)  who  is  as  wide-awake  and  coquettish  as  any 
Londoner,  and  with  the  speedy  requirement  of  a  regiment  of  heavies 
for  immediate  full  service  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  remount 
officers  have  great  difficulty  in  procuring  remounts.  "*- 

However,  the  work  was  done  and  within  three  and  a  half  months 
from  disembarkation  the  regiment  was  reported  fit  to  take  the  field 
and  that  too  with  horses  that  excited  the  approbation  of  two  suc- 
cessive commanding  officers  fresh  from  England.  *  *  *  In  a  letter 
from  the  Deputy  Quartermaster  General  some  time  afterwards,  he 
mentions  among  other  duties  performed  by  them;  "a  forced  march 
of  240  miles  in  11  days  without  a  single  casualty;  the  average 
weight  of  a  dragoon  being  above  19  stone  (266  lbs.).  The  horses 
were  obtained  for  £24:10  to  £26:10  each."^^ 

Several  years  later  the  harmful  effects  of  the  "blood  weeds  "were 
beginning  to  tell  and  much  greater  care  had  to  be  taken  to  obtain 
good  remounts ;  but  instead  of  this,  matters  were  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  speculators  who  were  also  responsible  for  the  selling  at  fab- 
alous  prices  the  scrapings  of  Tattersall's  stables  at  Lojidon. 

Besides  the  importation  of  good  sires  for  the  improvement  of 
the  breed  of  horses,  other  methods  were  attempted  in  order  to  keep 
up  as  much  as  possible  witli  the  demands  of  the  Indian  market. 
These  attempts  were  directed  against  the  speculator  type  of  re- 
mounts ;  but  unfortunately  they  were  so  stringent  and  even  unfair 
rhat  it  nipped  all  private  enterprise  in  the  bud. 

In  order  to  stimulate  the  home  industry  as  well  as  breeders  at 
the  Cape  and  Australia  to  produce  the  required  type  of  remount, 
the  Indian  Authorities  notified  the  Government  at  the  Cape  that  in 
future  horses  will  be  bought  for  575  rupees  (£57:10)  (287  dollars) 
each,  delivered  at  their  several  depots  in  India,  after  they  have  been 
passed  by  a  Committee  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  The 
owners  or  speculators  standing  all  risks  of  importation  and  dis- 
embarkation. 

The  Cape  Govennnent  gave  this  notice,  every  pidjlicity,  and 
announced  that  "100  horses  will  be  received  by  the  Madras  Gov- 
ernment every  year  until  further  notice."  It  would  be  well  to 
give  the  description  of  the  horse  that  was  required ;  because  in  some 

(82)  India  Sporting  Review,  August  1857. 

(83)  India  Sporting  Review,  August  1857. 

43 


measure  it  describes  the  Cape  horse  that  reaped  so  much  fame  in  the 
Indian  campaigns.  "The  horses  are  required  to  be  not  less  than 
nor  more  than  6  years  old  on  delivery,  and  not  under  141/2  hands 
high.  Each  horse  must  be  free  from  vice  or  blemish  or  any  defect 
whatsoever,  which  may  constitute  unsoundness  of  wind,  limb  oi' 
vision ;  to  be  of  good  constitution  with  free  action,  sufficient  bone, 
general  substance  and  symmetry  to  render  him  in  every  respect  fit 
for  artillery  and  European  Dragoons ;  to  be  judged  by  a  Committee 
of  officers  at  Madras. '  '**  In  short  a  perfect  animal  for  £57  :10.  ir- 
respective of  all  risks. 

Such  a  Government  invitation  has  been  in  force  for  fourteen 
years  and  only  met  with  one  response.  Out  of  13  horses  landed 
only  6  were  passed  by  the  Committee,  whilst  the  importer  had  to 
bear  the  loss  of  8  which  died  on  the  voyage. ^^ 

There  is  a  large  amount  of  proof  of  the  unfairness,  unscrup- 
ulous judging  and  even  utter  ignorance  displayed  by  this  Com- 
mittee as  well  as  others  of  its  kind  twenty  years  earlier. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Indian  Sporting  Review,  1858,  Lt.  Col.  Bower 
writes  that  "the  Cape  farmers  will  never  submit  to  the  freaks  of 
the  India  Remount  Committee,  for  the  blunders  of  such  tribunals 
on  all  occasions  of  Cape  horses  being  inspected  are  too  notorious. 
Poor  Havelock's  horses  sent  to  Bombay  in  1837-8  were  disapproved 
of,  yet  they  proved  themselves  hardy,  and  kept  in  good  condition, 
perhaps  better  than  others  and  took  in  addition  to  their  own  work  a 
share  with  the  Gulf  Arabs  in  doing  the  work  of  the  Bengal  stud 
breeds  which  had  to  be  lead.  Again  the  Cape  horses  purchased  by 
me  in  1839,  were  condemned  by  a  Committee  in  such  terms  as  ex- 
posed me  to  censure  of  the  Board  of  Directors;  yet  they  earned 
for  themselves  such  a  reputation  in  the  service  which  obliged  the 
Madras  Government  so  much  that  they  retracted  all  their  condemn- 
ing remarks. ' ' 

The  same  is  to  be  said  of  Havelock's  condemned  horses.  Capt. 
Gall  in  a  report  to  the  Adjudant  General  at  Madras,  writes:  "Out 
of  the  44  horses  purchased  by  the  late  Col.  Havelock  in  1837  and 
which  were  disapproved  of  at  first  sight  and  distributed  amongst 
the  Dragoons,  Horse  Artillery  and  Native  Cavalry  in  the  Bombay 
Presidency,  no  fewer  than  37  were  actually  present  in  the  ranks 
after  having  done  eleven  years  of  service. 

(84)  Cape  Monthly  Vol.  IV.     1868. 
(85) .Bluehooks  of  1858. 

44 


Another  very  amusing  blunder  of  these  notorious  tribunals  is 
instanced  by  Col.  Bower:  "two  horses  in  a  certain  batch  were  con- 
demned as  'mad',  spavined  in  both  hocks  and  absolutely  unfit;" 
these  very  two  horses  turned  out  to  be,  after  the  effects  of  their 
voyage  liad  been  overcome  and  their  bruises  healed,  "the  famous 
Sir  Benjamin  and  Battledore  with  whose  performance  all  India  be- 
came familiar. ' ' 

Let  us  listen  to  just  one  more  authority  on  a  question  which  at 
the  same  time  shows  to  what  kind  of  material  the  Cape  remount 
was  forced  to  give  way  and  to  realize  all  the  better  what  South 
Africa  has  lost  by  her  neglect  of  so  efficient  an  animal. 

"Sir  Walter  Gilbey  states  on  the  authority  of  General  Wheeler 
and  others  who  had  tlie  opportunity  of  appreciating  the  evils  of 
warfare  in  having  guns  horsed  with  brutes  that  could  not  be  de- 
pended upon.  "Even  the  best  of  them  (the  Indian  stud  breeds  and 
Australian  Walers)  are  often  too  bad  tempered  and  of  insufficient 
substance  that  when  they  meet  with  any  obstacle  they  cannot  im- 
mediately surmount,  they  become  sulk}^  and  will  not  renew  the 
etTort  *****  ill  short  had  an  annual  draught  of  500  horses  from 
the  Cape  been  established  six  years  ago,  as  miglit  have  been  done, 
great  would  by  this  time  have  been  the  saving  of  public  money ;  for 
to  whatever  presidency  the  Cape  horses  would  have  been  alloted, 
efficiency  would  have  been  proportionately  improved  especially  in 
Bengal  by  getting  rid  of  some  of  the  rubbish.  ******  They 
were  as  bad  in  the  Afghan  war  when  "no  description  of  horses  in 
the  artillery  of  Sir  John  Keene's  army  so  disgraced  himself  in  the 
ranks  as  that  on  which  the  Indian  Government  studs  have  expended 
so  much  money  to  produce.  The  horses  of  these  studs  have  been 
proved  beyond  all  comparison,  the  most  worthless  garrons  with 
which  the  public  serA'ice  has  ever  been  encumbered."-'' 

Wlien  the  Crimean  War  broke  out  in  1854  several  of  the  Cape- 
horsed  Cavalry  regiments  were  ordered  to  the  front  and  the  Cape 
horses  acquitted  themselves  admirably  in  that  most  trying  cam- 
paign. "Captain  Wilder  marched  from  Suez  to  Cairo  and  landed 
in  the  Crimea  with  the  10th.  Huzzars  mounted  on  Cape  horses 
that  must  have  been  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  years  old  at  least,  yet 
they  gave  the  highest  satisfaction. '  '^^ 

(86)  Montgomery  Martin,  Racing  Calendar  1885. 

(87)  Papers  relating  to  the  purchase  of  horses  for  cavalry  service  in  India. 

Bluehooks  1875. 

45 


In  all  the  campaigns  in  wliicli  the  Cape  horse  has  been  used  the 
size  was  the  only  complaint,  his  capability  of  endurance  and  all 
other  points  have  been  such  as  to  gain  the  praise  of  almost  every 
officer  in  the  army  both  in  India,  the  Crimea  and  at  home  in  the 
several  Kaffir  wars.  Yet  these  horses  gaining  such  wonderful  rep- 
utation, often  as  "condemned"  horses,  were  boycotted  in  every  pos- 
sible way  and  the  remarks  quoted  above  and  taken  from  the  writ- 
ings of  men  of  considerable  experience  will  in  some  measure  explain 
one  of  the  causes  of  the  decline  of  horse  breeding  in  South  Africa. 

It  is  contejided  by  numerous  cavalry  officers  and  other  exper- 
ienced men  of  that  period  that  in  spite  of  the  harm  done  by  the 
speculator  type  of  remount  there  are  thousands  of  first  class  re 
mounts  in  the  Colony  and  especially  in  the  neighboring  indepencies 
(the  old  republics  of  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  Transvaal)  and 
if  the  proper  methods  were  adopted  there  would  have  been  less  dis- 
grace to  the  British  arms  in  India  and  less  deterioration  of  the  breed 
in  South  Africa. 

This  contention  is  quite  correct ;  for  the  period  when  the  aver- 
age good  remoinit  was  getting  scarcer  in  the  Colony,  the  other  Prov- 
inces were  just  opened  up  and  were  in  the  heyday  of  pastoral  farm- 
ing and  troops  were  running  about  in  an  almost  wild  state.  They 
were  descendents  of  the  Cape  stock  which  the  farmers  brought 
along  with  them  when  they  emigrated  in  thousands  from  the  Cape 
Colony  in  1836-38.  *  «=  *  *  *the  period  when  the  breed  of  horses 
in  the  Cape  was  considered  to  be  in  its  zenith.  Besides  this,  some 
of  the  most  famous  stallions  found  their  way  to  these  studs  when 
the  interest  in  horse  breeding  was  on  the  wane  i]i  the  old  colony, 
being  undermined  as  we  have  seen  by  the  importation  of  worthless 
stallions  and  the  mean  dealings  of  the  Indian  Remounts  Committee. 
In  searching  for  reasons  for  the  decline  of  the  industry  we  should 
also  bear  in  mind,  as  a  certain  writer  in  the  India  Sporting  Review 
rightly  remarks,  that  "the  Cape  at  that  time  was  not  peopled  with 
Anglo-Saxons  teaming  with  the  inherent  love  of  trade  as  we  find  them 
in  the  Australian  colonies  *  *  *  *  *A  boer,  loves  a  bit  of  horse 
dealing  and  can  make  a  bargain  with  any  man ;  but  he  will  run  no 
risks,  nor  trust  his  property  out  of  sight  until  he  fingers  the  quid 
pro  quo. ' '  Time  and  the  working  of  an  established  agency  under  the 
direction  of  men  like  Col.  Apperley  and  Col.  Bower  would  have  de- 
veloped any  latent  enterprise  there  might  have  existed  among  the 

46 


great  breeders ;  but  the  blunders  of  the  India  Remount  Committee 
and  the  speculators  forstalled  this  very  plausable  idea  and  increased 
the  calamities  that  were  undermining  this  branch  or  our  pastoral 
farming. 

This  lack  of  trading  enterprise  is  justly  condemned.  Too  often 
is  the  average  South  African  farmer  contented  to  get  rid  of  his  pro- 
duce— wool,  feathers,  slaughter  cattle,  horses,  fruit,  etc,  to  a  middle 
man  at  much  inferior  prices.  One  reason  is,  perhaps,  that  he  is  too 
rich  or  at  least  considers  himself  so,  and  he  does  not  make  the  least 
exertion  to  get  the  best  prices  for  his  goods ;  this  was  particularly 
the  case  in  pre-war  days.  After  the  war,  matters  had  in  many 
eases  to  be  altogether  reorganized  and  the  want  that  was  caused  by 
the  war  has  placed  many  enterprises  on  a  surer  and  more  business- 
like footing. 

Besides  the  above  mentioned  causes  there  were  other's  that  were 
as  strong  and  at  that  time  probably  less  controlable  by  man  than  the 
blunders  and  prejudices  of  the  Indian  authorities  and  the  mistakes 
of  bad  selection  of  stallions  and  mismanagement  on  the  part  of  the 
farmers. 

Since  the  3'ear  1854  the  periodic  visitations  of  liorse  sickness 
seems  to  have  increased  in  severity;  for  during  that  year  and  the 
following  over  65,000  horses  and  mules  out  of  169,583  were  swept 
away.®^  In  1870  in  the  midst  of  all  the  difficulties  of  the  Indian 
trade  another  70,000  were  carried  off;  and  so  these  periodic  visi- 
tations claimed  its  heavy  toll  from  time  to  time,  making  another 
great  sweep  in  1891-3,  of  over  100,000  horses  and  mules,  or  almost 
1/5  of  the  total  number  of  horses  and  mules  which  is  given  as 
540,492.  With  misfortunes  like  these  it  is  no  wonder  that  horse- 
breeding  was  carried  on  in  a  listless  manner ;  still  with  better  meth- 
ods of  feeding  and  shelter  much  of  the  disease's  severity  could  have 
been  avoided.  Further  details  on  this  side  of  the  question  will  be 
discussed  in  another  chapter. 

In  the  meantime  other  occupations  in  the  pastoral  farming 
have  been  coming  up  rapidly,  and  when  these  series  of  mishaps  and 
drawbacks  occurred  in  one  branch,  all  attention  was  given  to  these 
new  industries  which  gave  good  returns  and  were  fast  becoming  a 
very  safe  and  lucrative  investment.  Many  of  the  great  horse  breed- 
ers think  that  the  deterioration  of  the  Cape  horse  is  solely  due  to 

(88)  Statistics  for  the  year  1854. 

(89)  Statistics  for  the  year  1891. 

47 


the  rise  of  these  new  industries ;  for  the  horses  were  neglected ; 
they  were  consequently  an  easier  prey  to  the  disease  and  this  shat- 
tered all  hopes  of  regaining  the  trade  with  India. 

The  wool  inductry  was  introduced  at  an  early  date  at  the  Cape, 
but  the  flocks  of  the  indigenous  sheep  were  large  and  were  given 
preference  to  an  imported  animal  which  was  considered  of  inferior 
food  value  and  not  half  so  hardy. 

In  1793  Spanish  Merino  rams  from  the  royal  flocks  of  George 
III  were  imported  and  altliough  there  was  much  opposition  against 
this  new  undertaking  by  the  conservative  farmers,  it  soon  developed 
quite  favorably  and  spread  very  fast  over  the  Colony. 

In  1854,  the  period  when  the  trade  in  remounts  was  fairly  well 
developed  and  horse-breeding  was  very  successful,  the  number  of 
pure-bred  wool  sheeps  was  3,788,436  and  the  number  of  ordinary 
and  mixed  breeds  1,766,817.  During  the  next  decade,  as  we  know, 
horse-breeding  received  its  severest  knocks  and  the  wool  sheep  in- 
dustry at  the  end  of  that  decade  showed  a  wonderful  increase.  The 
number  of  pure-breds  have  almost  trebled  and  have  even  had  the 
effect  of  decreasing  the  number  of  half-breds  by  over  100,000. 

The  Industry  developed  very  rapidly  and  spread  beyond  the 
borders  of  the  Colony  into  the  Orange  Free  State,  Transvaal  and 
Natal. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  Australia  obtained  some  of 
the  pure-bred  sheep  imported  in  1793,  since  the  farmers  were  not 
anxious  to  attempt  an  undertaking  they  knew  nothing  about. 
Twenty-nine  of  these,  rams  and  ewes  went  to  establish  the  finewool 
industry  in  Australia,  and  to-day  she  produces  about  five  times  as 
much  wool  as  we  do  *  *  *  *  *  But  then  she  is  "the  only  nation 
sprung  from  glorious  peace"  and  South  Africa  has  for  centuries 
been  at  the  mercy  first  of  hordes  of  thieving  and  murdering  natives 
and  swarms  of  wild  animals  and  secondly  of  bad  Government, 
agressive  wars  and  devastating  diseases.  In  spite  of  all  this  the 
wool  industry  of  South  Africa  is  the  only  one  that  shows  a  remark- 
able increase  whereas  all  other  countries  are  on  the  decrease. 

Two  other  farming  industries  must  still  be  mentioned  as  grow- 
ing out  of  the  fallen  reputation  of  our  excellent  horse  and  flourish- 
ing at  his  expense ;  they  will  increase  and  sweeten  our  consolation 
for  what  we  have  lost  in  other  fields ;  for  we  stand  pre-eminent  in 
them. 


(90)  Boiert  Wallace,  "Farming  Industries  of  the  Cape  Colony."     1896. 

48 


In  1840  a  number  of  Angora  goats  were  imported  from  Angora 
in  Asia  and  were  crossed  with  the  native  "blinkhaar"  goat  of  the 
country  and  this  cross  was  ennobled  by  the  importation  of  a  few 
purebreds  and  improved  by  selection.  The  Industry  developed 
rapidly  and  very  soon  the  Angora  flocks  of  the  great  Karroo  plains 
were  the  finest  and  largest  in  the  world. 

Twenty  years  later,  in  the  early  sixties,  Ostrich  farming  was 
taken  up  seriously.  A  few  years  ago  some  of  the  wild  birds  were 
tamed  and  by  intelligent  selection,  mating-  and  good  management, 
the  South  African  bird  very  soon  reached  a  high  standard  of  breed- 
ing and  a  very  profitable  industry  was  opened  up.  Within  twenty 
years  from  its  establishme)it  it  has  captured  the  world's  market.''' 

In  both  these  farming  industries  the  Union  is  far  ahead  of  any 
other  country,  and  although  they  stand  on  airy  stilts  that  may  at 
any  time  be  overthrown  by  the  caprices  of  the  fashion  makers  they 
]iave  brought  a  large  amount  of  wealth  in  the  land  and  have  had  a 
good  influence  on  farming  and  agricultural  matters  in  general, 
Should  they  at  any  time  collapse,  the  gap  will  and  can  be  easily 
filled  up ;  for  the  pastures  now  occupied  by  the  large  flocks  of  An- 
goras are  as  good  for  the  Merino  and  tlie  Cape  horse  and  those 
localities  given  up  to  the  Ostrich  are  the  richest  lands  in  the  whole 
Union  and  can  be  put  to  as  good  advantage. 

Tliis  is  in  short  the  history  of  those  farming  industries  which 
in  their  rapid  growth  helped  to  push  horse  breeding  in  the  back- 
ground and  even  caused  its  neglect  and  decline.  It  is  quite  clear 
that  they  have  more  than  made  up  for  tlie  losses  suffered  in  the  trade 
with  India  in  remounts;  but  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  the  other 
branches  of  Agriculture  should  be  neglected,  they  might  have  been 
reduced,  but  their  neglect  was  certainly  not  the  best  policy  and 
neither  the  Government  nor  some  of  the  best  farmers  have  taken 
this  view  and  there  is  yet  hope  for  the  reestablishment  of  the  Cape 
Horse.  In  that  great  land,  with  its  wonderful  pastures,  glorious 
climate,  liberal  and  enterprising  Government,  with  an  Agricultural 
Department,  Agricultural  Schools  and  Experiment  Stations  fully 
equipped  by  efficient  men  there  is  no  reason  why  all  the  different 
agricultural  pursuits  of  the  people  cannot  flourish  side  hy  side. 
This  is  all  the  more  possible  since  the  union  of  the  four  states  and 

(91)  Blueiools  and  Census  Returns.     1840  etc.     Cape  Town  and  London. 

(92)  Dr    Cecil  BergJi,  Ziir  Oeconomische  Entwiclc'kelung  d^b^jStraussensuclit  in 

Sudafrika.     Leipzig  1914. 

49 


after  the  war  has  cleared  away  barriers  that  were  supposed  to  have 
been  in  the  w^ay. 

There  are  besides  these  factors  still  some  others  which  have  not 
only  had  an  effect  on  South  African  farming  industries,  but  has 
eifected  the  world  at  large  and  have  to  some  extent  revolutionized 
the  world's  trade  at  the  time. 

In  1869  the  Suez  Canal  was  opened  up  for  traffic,  and  the  Cape 
and  other  South  African  ports  that  up  to  then  were  the  great  half 
M^ay  stations  on  the  trade  routes  between  Europe,  America  and  the 
East,  saw  themselves  all  of  a  sudden  forsaken  by  the  usual  calls  of 
the  trading  fleets  and  consequently  lost  a  large  amount  of  direct 
trade  with  these  countries."^ 

This  occurrence  effected  the  trade  in  remounts  Math  India  con- 
siderably; for  horses  could  be  procured  from  European  countries 
in  the  same  amount  of  time  and  at  the  same  prices,  if  not  cheaper. 

Last  but  not  least  in  this  eventful  history  of  the  decay  and  de- 
generation of  a  once  flourishing  and  most  promising  industry  is  tbe 
discovery  of  the  world's  richest  diamoiid  and  gold  mines'."* 

In  1870,  the  year  generally  taken  when  horse-breeding  had 
lost  its  prestige  and  standard  of  the  previous  five  or  six  decades,  the 
diamond  fields  were  discovered  and  had  a  large  share  in  the  with- 
drawing of  the  farmers'  attention.  For  some  time  it  stimulated  the 
breeding  of  cattle  very  much,  for  all  the  heavy  machinery  had  to  be 
transported  by  the  ox-wagons ;  but  even  this  was  in  its  turn  super- 
seded by  the  railway.  liailway  lines  were  creeping  very  fast  from 
the  various  seaports  to  the  great  mining  centers  and  with  the  sub- 
sequent building  of  numerous  branch  lines  other  modes  of  convey- 
ance were  overshadowed — the  ox-wagon  soon  became  an  object  of 
the  past  and  the  light  horse- wagon  which  was  tlie  pride  of  those 
days  became  rarer  and  was  folloAved  first  by  the  elegant  Cape-cart 
and  more  recently  of  course  by  the  motor-lorry  and  automobile. 

These  changes,  however,  were  bound  to  come  and  the  great 
secret  in  order  not  lo  be  harmed  by  them,  is  to  adjust  the  several 
farming  industries  in  such  a  way  that  no  one  is  outbalanced  by  the 
other  or  exists  at  the  expense  of  another. 

The  best  and  most  efficient  methods  should  be  adopted  in  order 
to  cope  with  the  demands  and  needs  of  an  ever    increasing  and 

(93)  Encyclopedia  Brittanica.     Vol.  XXIV. 

(94)  History    of    Gold    Mining    Industry.     "The    Transvaal"    British    Asso- 

ciation for  the  advancement  of  Science.     1005. 

50 


specializing  field  of  competing  industrial  activity.  To  this  end  a 
good  education,  tempered  by  experience  is  generally  recognized  the 
world  over  to  be  the  greatest  factor  in  giving  the  individual  and  the 
nation  that  competence  and  power  which  will  attempt  to  have  all  the 
payable  resources  of  the  land  work  together  as  one  harmonious 
whole  for  the  welfare  of  the  community  at  large. 

(d)  PRESENT  TIME. 

Up  to  this  stage  we  have,  for  convenience  sake,  considered  the 
history  of  horse-breeding  as  falling  into  three  periods,  or  rather 
discussed  it  under  three  different  aspects,  which  were  marked  by 
important  occurrences.  The  period  covering  its  origin  and  steady 
growth  dates  from  1652.  It  comprises  the  importation  of  horses 
from  Java,  Persia,  Arabia,  North  and  South  America,  the  capture 
of  some  stallions  from  Spain  and  the  first  importation  of  English 
blood  horses.  It  closes  in  1820  with  the  importation  of  large  num- 
bers of  some  of  the  best  Thoroughbreds.  A  new  period  of  very 
marked  development  set  in  and  was  sadly  interfered  with  by  the  im- 
portation of  large  numbers  of  a  much  inferior  type  of  sire  in  1870 
and  after,  when  the  period  of  general  deterioration  and  neglect  be- 
gan and  dragged  on  in  spite  of  the  efforts  made  to  suppress  it.  until 
the  end  of  the  century. 

The  Anglo-Boer  v/ar  (1899-1902)  is  another  occurence  that  had 
a  great  effect  on  horse-breeding  and  fittingly  divides  its  history  into 
another  period,  which  runs  up  to  the  present  time. 

Had  we  spoken  of  a  general  deterioration  of  the  breed  in  the 
preceding  generation,  we  almost  had  no  horse  to  speak  about  in  the 
beginning  of  this  one.  The  sweeping  movements  made  after  the 
first  great  defeats  of  the  British  forces  and  aiming  at  the  starving 
out  of  the  Boer  forces,  had  collected  troops  of  brood  mares  and 
foals  together  with  large  flocks  of  sbeep  and  other  stock  and  de- 
stroyed them  with  machine  guns. 

The  old  Republics  naturally  bore  the  brunt  of  the  war  al- 
though the  neighboring  colonies  had  a  fair  show  of  it  too.  Statis- 
tics of  pre-war  days  are  very  scarce  and  unreliable,  especially  in 
the  old  Republics.  In  1914  the  first  collection  of  a  complete  Census 
of  the  agricultural  industries  of  the  Union  would  have  been  made,^^ 

(95)    Cf.  Editorial  Notes.     Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa. 
No.  6,  Vol.  VI.     1913. 

51 


but  the  World  War,  which  has  also  dragged  South  Africa  into  its 
coils  has  of  course  forstalled  this  plausible  and  most  necessary 
undertaking. 

From  statistics  available,  the  extent  of  destruction  caused  by 
the  war  is  realized  in  some  measure.  The  Census  Eeturns  of  1904 
showed  that  the  number  of  horses  and  mules  in  the  Cape  Colony  to 
have  been  419,963,  a  number  less  than  that  of  thirteen  years  ago 
(1891)  and  given  as  444,147.  If  this  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the 
Cape  Colony,  that  of  the  two  old  Republics  can  easily  be  guessed. 
The  Census  Returns  of  1911  showed  a  still  further  decrease  in  the 
Cape  Colony  and  gave  the  number  of  horses  in  that  colony  as 
381,021 ;  this  decrease,  however,  can  be  explained  to  some  extent 
by  the  fact  that  the  old  Republics  bought  large  numbers  of  horses 
in  the  Colony  after  the  war  and  that  some  9000  horses  and  mules 
were  exported  to  German  South  West  Africa  during  the  Herero 
war  as  well  as  the  exportation  of  breeding  stock  beyond  the  Union's 
border,  Portuguese  territories  and  Rhodesia."^' 

This  wholesale  destruction  of  tlie  horse  mateiyial  was  all  the 
more  a  pity  since  tlie  old  Republics  took  up  liorse-breeding  very 
seriously  ever  since  their  origin  and  establishment  in  1845  and  con- 
tinued to  breed  good  liorses  when  the  Colony  neglected  their  studs. 

As  has  been  mentioned  before,  agricultural  statistics  are  scanty 
and  often  unreliable.  Agricultural  institutions  were  in  their  in- 
fancy and  the  Census  Returns  often  very  incomplete,  owing  to  the 
returns  of  some  districts  coming  in  late  and  the  inclusion  at  one 
time  and  the  exclusion  at  another  of  the  native  territories  and  also 
the  frequent  changing  of  the  census  areas. 

In  the  old  Republics  matters  of  this  kind  were  worse  and  we 
have  to  gather  our  sources  from  circumstantial  evidences  and  side- 
lights. The  government  was  established  on  simple  yet  effective 
lines  and  has  been  declared  by  great  statesmen  and  scholars  of  con- 
stitutional governments  as  being  a  model  institution,  which  suited 
a  pastoral  people  excellently  and  afforded  them  the  best  content- 
ment, assistance  and  happiness.  Sir  James  Bryce  considered  the 
government  of  the  Orange  Free  State  a  model  one  and  remarks  that 
"these  simple  Free  State  farmers  were  wiser  in  their  simplicity 
than  some  of  the  philosophers  who  at  divers  times  planned  and 


(96)   BlueiooJcs  giving  census  Eeturns  of  1891,  1904,  1911. 
Also  Ectimates*****Exports,  etc.     1904-1909- 


52 


framed  governments  for  nascent  communities  *****  The  Or- 
ange Free  State  government  has  merits  not  to  be  found  either  in 
the  American  or  the  British  system  of  constitutional  government 
*****  But  though  wisdom  is  justified  of  all  of  her  children, 
she  cannot  secure  that  her  children  shall  survive  the  shocks  of 
arms."^^  With  such  a  government  there  is  sufficient  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  several  pastoral  industries  received  every  attention 
and  were  in  a  flourishing  state  even  if  there  was  no  organized  body 
especially  directing  them. 

In  those  days  Agricultural  Societies  were  the  only  organized 
institutions  that  stimulated  the  progress  of  farming  in  general  and 
were  subsidised  by  the  government,  who  contributed  on  the  pound 
sterling  for  pound  sterling  principle.  In  the  Transvaal  (South 
African  Republic)  the  executive  voted  £10,000  for  the  advancement 
of  agricultural  affairs  annually  and  later  increased  this  amount  con- 
siderably. Every  year  a  Congress  was  held  in  one  of  the  great 
centers  and  matters  were  discussed,  new  schemes  were  planned  and 
undertaken  for  the  advancement  of  farming  throughout  the  state. 
The  executive  Bureau  of  this  Congress  reported  to  the  Government 
who  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  doings  of  these  institutions  and 
gave  it  every  assistance.*"^ 

In  1899  the  first  attempt  was  made  in  the  Orange  Free  State  to 
establish  an  Agricultural  Department  and  its  officers  were  entrusted 
to  several  of  the  most  experienced  farmers  and  a  small  trained 
staff  to  organize  the  department;  the  war,  however,  forstalled 
their  plans.  After  the  war  bygones  were  very  soon  allowed  to  re- 
main bygones  and  Briton  and  Boer  settled  down  together  and  very 
soon  matters  assumed  their  usual  tenor.  Most  of  the  men  respons- 
ible before  the  war  were  once  more  called  upon  to  investigate  mat- 
ters and  in  1903  the  Orange  River  Colony  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture was  established.  On  the  details  and  its  later  development  will 
be  explained  later  on,  it  sufficeth,  however,  to  stipulate  the  headli- 
ness  of  their  aims  and  proposed  field  of  activity,  which  is  more  or 
less  that  of  the  whole  Union  to-day.  The  department  will  call  into 
life : 

(1)  Stud  farms  for  the  direct  benefit  of  stock  breeders. 

(2)  Experimental  farms  where  useful  experiments  could  be 

(97)  Sir  James  Bryce.     Orange  Free  State  1901. 

(98)  Transvaal  Agricultural  Journal  No.  3,  1902. 

53 


carried  out  in  stock  breeding  and  other  problems  effecting  farming 
industries. 

(3)  Educational  centers  for  young  men  and  Bureaus  of  In- 
formation for  the  older  inhabitants.^" 

This  colony  then  possessed  103,731  horses,  part  of  it  was  of  the 
original  stock  and  part  of  it  was  largely  imported  from  the  Cape 
Colony  and  Natal  as  well  as  from  other  parts  of  the  world.  From 
time  to  time  stallions  were  obtained  from  the  neighboring  districts 
of  the  Cape  Colony  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  many  of  the 
imported  Thoroughbreds  of  fame  found  their  way  in  the  pre-war 
days.  The  famous  stallion  Turpin  is  an  example  of  this.  He  was 
later  sold  to  a  Natal  farmer. ^°°  Champagne  Charlie  or  rather  his 
progeny  was  a  household  word  in  the  Boshof  district.  Good  sires 
were  also  obtained  from  the  large  studs  in  the  Colony  and  Free 
State  breeders  were  proud  to  possess  a  "Hantam",  "van  Zyl", 
"Kotze"  or  "Oosthuizen"  bred  stallion  or  pair. 

There  is  a  very  interesting  "talk"  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
Natal  Agricultural  Journal  of  1898  by  Mr.  Charles  Barter,  one  of 
the  first  horse-breeders  in  that  Colony.  His  remarks  are  very  val- 
uable as  they  give  us  a  view  of  the  state  of  affairs  immediately  before 
the  war  and  something  about  the  origin  and  development  of  horse- 
breeding  in  Natal.  "Natal  has  proved  itself  a  fit  home  for  the 
Thoroughbred  and  certainly  less  adapted  to  the  coarser  equine 
breeds.  Let  us  then  follow  nature.  Let  us  leave  heavy  draught  to 
the  railroad  and  traction  engine  and  the  most  longsuffering  of  crea- 
tures the  trekox ;  and  in  breeding  horses  for  draught  let  us  try  to 
make  compactness  of  form,  symmetry,  sound  limbs  and  feet  and  sup- 
ple action  supply  the  absence  of  weight  and  bulk. ' ' 

Mr.  Barter's  people  owned  the  first  Thoroughbred  imported 
into  Natal  in  1860 ;  and  remarks  that  there  were  few  good  horses 
like  Mortimer  in  the  colony,  because  the  old-colony  breeders  who 
known  the  value  of  a  really  good  horse  and  is  generally  willing  to 
pay  for  it  gets  the  benefit  of  our  good  judgement  and  luck  and  thus 
a  chance  of  real  improvement  such  as  may  not  be  offered  again  for 
many  years  is  lost  to  the  colony,  or  at  least  to  the  present  gener- 
ation. ' ' 

Tables  were,  however,  turned  and  after  tlie  Cape  Colony  be 

(99)  First  Annual  Report  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  the  Orange 

Eiver  Colony  (1904-5). 

(100)  Natal  Agricultural  Journal  Vol.  VII,  1904. 

54 


came  mixed  up  with  the  Indian  Authorities  and  their  wool-sheep 
farming  the  neighboring  independences  and  Natal  had  the  benefit 
of  the  best  sires  in  the  land.  ' '  Such  worthies  as  Warwick,  Jovial 
Boy,  Tom  Tug,  Turpin  and  many  others  went  to  improve  the  stock 
of  brood  mares  beyond  the  Colony's  borders."  However,  even 
Natal  as  well  as  the  old  republics  were  effected  by  several  causes 
that  brought  about  the  deterioration  of  the  horse  in  the  Colony. 
In  Natal  this  was  largely  due  to  the  changed  conditions  of  life, 
brought  about  by  the  contraction  of  farnis,  beitei-  roads  and  loco- 
motive povv'er.  This  falling  off  was  more  marked  in  the  riding- 
horse.  ' '  The  class  of  horse  the  Uys  Bros.,  Mr.  Botha  and  later  Mr. 
Bosh  off  and  others  used  to  breed  and  quickly  disposed  of  from  £15 
to  £25  would  not  attract  many  purchasers  noAv.  No  one  cares  to 
ride  eighty  or  one  liundred  miles  with  perhaps  an  extra  horse  can- 
tering by  his  side ;  still  fewer  are  they  who  make  from  point  to 
point  across  country,  over  mountains,  and  through  dense  forests 
and  swift  flowing  streams."  So  we  find  that  even  in  these  Prov- 
inces the  liorsc  material  was  getting  less  efficient ;  but  we  are  as- 
sured that  the  general  standard  was  a  high  one.  Mr.  Barter  as- 
sures us  that  had  the  horses  he  rode  and  drove  found  tlieir  way 
into  the  stables  of  the  great  horse-breeders  in  England  they  would 
"most  certainly  have  been  reserved  to  mount  special  favorites  and 
considered  a  long  sight  too  good  to  be  knocked  about  by  the  average 
University  man. ' ' 

In  an  article  on  "Progress  in  agriculture  since  Union"  the 
under-secretary,  Mr.  P.  J.  da  Toit  makes  the  following  remarks 
under  the  heading  "Horses  and  Mules" :  "AVe  have  no  means  of  as- 
certaining from  the  point  of  view  the  numbers  the  advance  made  in 
horse-breeding  since  Union!  The  increase  between  the  years  1904 
and  1911,  however,  has  been  sixty  percent.,  from  449,539  to  719,- 
414." 

"We  have  a  long  way  to  go  by  way  of  improving  the  quality, 
though  the  steady  effort  in  this  direction  made — -in  those  parts  of 
the  Union  most  denuded  of  horses  during  the  war — by  the  impor- 
tations of  blood  stock  by  the  government  and  private  individuals 
and  the  continuous  importations  by  the  established  breeders  of  the 
older  parts  of  the  Union,  have  made  a  perceptible  difference.  The 
keener  rivalry  at  our  principal  agricultural  sliows  is  proof  of 
this."^°^ 


(101)   Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Union  of  Souilt  Africa.     Vol.  VI,  1913. 

55 


After  the  war  tens  of  thousands  of  horses  amongst  which  num- 
ber a  large  amount  of  mares  were  sold  to  the  farmers  by  the  military 
authorities,  they  represented  a  polyglot  collection  from  almost  every 
part  of  the  world  and  the  greater  majority  of  these  were  inferior 
even  to  the  average  Cape  Horse  as  the  Official  Remount  Report 
issued  after  the  war  will  show.  Extracts  from  this  report  will  in 
some  measure  give  an  estimation  of  a  large  bulk  of  the  material 
that  went  to  build  up  the  industry  after  the  war. 

''Generally  a  good  compact,  true  made,  bigbarrelled  horse  on 
short  legs  with  a  certain  amount  of  quality  of  any  nationality  ex 
eept  the  Argentine — which  must  have  some  horrible  strains  of  blood 
in  his  veins — did  well."^"- 

South  Africans :  There  were  very  few  South  Africans  that 
can  be  called  horses  except  from  Natal ;  but  whenever  we  did  get 
one,  he  was  the  best.  A  hard,  wiry,  wellbred  animal,  very  quiet 
and  able  to  take  care  of  himself  on  the  veld  and  in  the  line  on  the 
worst  of  forage  and  water. 

Australians:  The  animals  w^ere  disappointing  on  the  whole. 
The  tj^pical  Waler  was  of  course  light  on  the  leg,  ewe-necked  and 
angular.     The  draft  horse  was  a  positive  scandal. 

Canadians :  Many  were  barouche  horses ;  high  on  the  leg  and 
slack  corn  made  animals,  possessed  of  some  quality. 

Hungarians :  They  were  strong  little  animals,  full  of  quality 
but  failures  and  universally  condemned  as  " tlatcatchers. " 

Indians :  The  country  horse  is  too  soft  and  excitable  and  very 
little  good  for  campaigning.  The  Arabs  and  Walers  from  India 
were  excellent,  nothing  could  beat  the  Arab. 

Americans :  Varied  greatly,  many  were  capital  light  cavalry 
horses  witli  great  substance  and  quality. 

British :  The  general  superiority  of  the  British  over  the  other 
imported  animals  is  greatly  due  to  his  having  been  habitually  corn 
fed  and  regularly  worked  before  embarkation.  He  is  truer  made 
and  rounder  ribbed.  For  draft  purposes  he  was  excellent ;  but  for 
riding  many  were  too  long  in  the  leg. 

A  similar  report  is  given  for  cobs  and  in  that  company  the 
Cape  Horse  and  his  types  held  their  own  as  well  as  among  the 
horses. 

"The  South  African  cob  is  unsurpassed  for  Mounted  Infantry 
work.  They  are  hardy,  active  animals,  require  no  care,  they  live 
(102)   Transvaal  Agricultural  Journal,  Vol.  I.     Official  Bemount  Beport  1901-2. 

56 


on  the  scantiest  rations  and  are  very  quiet.  On  the  veld  they  are 
as  sure-footed  as  goats.  Their  paces  are  a  slow  canter  and  a  shuf- 
fling walk.     The  Basuto  pony  is  the  best  of  all." 

This  extract  in  short  describes  the  stock  that  was  left  to  South 
Africa  after  the  war ;  for  the  farmers  bought  the  remaining  horse 
material  of  the  British  forces  and  amongst  these  were  a  large  num- 
ber of  mares.  Thousands  of  breeding  stock  have  also  been  imported 
from  abroad  and  unluckily  most  of  the  horses  were  imported  from 
the  Argentine,  owing  to  low  prices.  These  horses  were  the  worst 
the  British  Army  had  used  and  their  influence  was  not  at  all  satis- 
factory ;  but  the  people  were  exliausted  by  the  disastrous  effects  of 
the  war  and  beggars  cannot  choose.  But  things  righted  themselves 
very  soon.  The  larger  part  of  the  3,000,000  pounds  sterling  paid 
by  Great  Britain  to  the  Republics  as  part  of  the  conditions  of  the 
Peace  of  Vereniging  went  to  rehabilitate  the  farming  industries. 
The  Governments  of  the  old  Republics  placed  large  sums  of  monies 
at  the  disposal  of  the  farmers  on  very  easy  terms  for  the  purpose 
of  buying  pure-bred  sheep  and  other  live  stock  in  the  Cape  Colony 
or  imported  from  abroad. 

The  great  reputation  the  Cape  Horse  once  more  gained  on  the 
field  of  battle  and  general  campaign  duty  seemed  to  have  attracted 
horse  breeders'  attention  anew  and  its  breeding  and  improvement 
became  one  of  the  most  serious  interests  throughout  South  Africa. 

The  great  horse  breeders  of  the  Hantam  of  ancient  fame  col- 
lected as  many  of  the  old  stock  as  they  could  lay  hands  on  and  some 
of  the  best  Thoroughbred  stallion's  were  imported  from  England. 

Dr.  F.  D.  McDermott,  Director  of  the  Cape  Agricultural  De- 
partment giving  a  full  description  of  the  various  great  studs  in  this 
region  three  years  after  tlie  war,  makes  the  following  remarks  on 
the  breeding  stock:  "The  class  of  mare  mostly  bred  from  here  is 
the  colonial  type,  as  much  as  possible  on  the  line  of  the  old  Hantam 
animal,  but  it  has  been  so  difficult  to  secure  this  type  of  mare  since 
the  war,  that  the  old  Hantam  horse  seems  to  be  almost  doomed.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  with  all  the  new  blood  in  the  district  we  shall 
soon  have  a  new  Hantam  horse  with  the  characteristics  of  the  old 
one  and  a  few  improvements.  Soil  and  climate  have  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  horse-breeding  so  that  there  is  no  reason  to  fear  that  what 
has  been  done  before  cannot  be  done  again.  ""^ 


(103)   F.  D.  McDerviot.     Rwal  Cape  Colony.     Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.     Vol.  XXVII,  1905. 

57 


In  the  Southern  parts  of  the  Cape  Colony  the  old  studs  in  the 
Robertson,  Montagu  and  Malmesbury  districts,  horse-breeders  have 
also  reorganized  their  general  breeding  stock.  In  1905  Dr.  Hutch- 
eon,  Chief  Veterinary  Surgeon  for  the  Cape  Colony  found  that 
' '  there  was  a  marked  improvement  in  all  classes,  especially  in  iiorses. 
Two  helpful  features  were  to  be  noticed.  First,  the  presence  of  a 
fine  class  of  brood  mares ;  and  secondly,  the  number  of  promising 
youngsters.  "Whatever  the  breeders  do  they  should  keep  as  near 
as  possible  to  tlie  original  stock.  "^°* 

There  is  perhaps  no  other  country  where  farming  is  so  general. 
Quite  a  number  of  very  rich  men  have  taken  up  land  in  the  great 
horse-breeding  districts  and  have  their  studs  and  racing  stables 
there.  Especially  in  the  Colesburg  district,  which  was  the  recog- 
nized home  of  some  of  the  finest  equine  stock  South  America  could 
boast.  With  the  advent  of  men  like  Sir  Abe  Bailey,  Nourse,  Ho- 
man,  Robertson,  Rissik  and  many  others  the  distict  seems  to  have  a 
future  of  greater  brilliancy  than  its  past  in  the  line  of  horse -breed- 
jjjgios  ^Q  other  district  can  probably  show  so  many  wealthy 
farmers  and  land  owners — more  and  more  the  wealth  of  the  gold 
and  diamond  mines  is  being  spent  on  these  studs  and  the  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  Cape  horse.  The  advent  of  new 
men  with  new  methods  is  sure  to  cause  some  change  in  the  smaller 
communities ;  but  the  ultimate  results  will  be  for  the  good  of  the 
land. 

The  metliods  of  management  and  selection  are  of  the  best.  The 
sires  are  of  the  best  Thoroughbred  strains.  Fuller  will  be  dwelt 
upon  these  important  factors  in  another  chapter  on  private  studs. 

From  these  several  remarks  we  find  that  the  modern  tendencies 
all  aim  at  regaining  the  glories  of  the  past.  A  great  effort  is  being 
made  to  establish  firmly  a  breed  of  horses  that  came  as  near  perfec- 
tion as  any  other  old  established  breed ;  but  it  has  been  rudely  in- 
terfered with  by  great  catastrophes  which  to-day  can  be  made  harm- 
less, thanks  to  the  advancement  of  scientific  knowledge  In  checking 
and  overcoming  diseases  and  teaching  practical  and  economic  meth- 
ods which  bring  progress  and  wealth  in  its  practice. 


(104)  Dr.  Hutcheon.     Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     Vol. 
XXVI      1905. 

(105)  Bural  Cape  Colony.     Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Vol.  XXVI.     1905. 

58 


CHAPTER  II. 

METHODS  IN  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  HORSES 

IN  THE  UNION. 

The  methods  practised  in  the  rearing  and  management  or  horses 
in  South  Africa  are  very  simple  and  primitive  yet  very  effective. 
They  conform  to  the  natural  order  of  things.  The  horses  are 
reared  in  the  open,  they  provide  for  themselves  except  in  droughts 
and  poor  seasons  and  enjoy  that  vitality  and  stamnia  which  is  the 
birthright  of  the  wild  troop,  subjected  only  to  man's  will  and  the 
laws  of  nature  which  are  most  favorable  to  the  strong  and  merciless 
to  the  weak. 

In  the  beginning  of  its  liistory  horse-breeding  was  for  a  time 
conducted  on  European  lines,  that  means  the  animals  were  kept  at 
stable  during  niglits  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  owing  to 
the  numerous  wild  animals  and  thieving  hordes  of  natives  that 
prowled  about.  In  1654  the  only  stallion  then  at  the  Cape  was  torn 
to  pieces  by  lions  in  broad  day-light  and  under  the  very  nose  of  the 
fort's  cannon.^  Frequent  mention  is  also  made  of  elaborate  stabl- 
ing and  provisions  for  the  horses  owned  by  the  Company,  and  this 
method  was  adopted  by  the  farmers  since  1665  when  through  the 
first  public  sale  of  horses  by  the  Company  they  undertook  horse- 
breeding  as  a  new  undertaking  in  their  agricultural  and  pastoral 
pursuits.- 

This  state  of  affairs  must  have  been  in  practice  for  over  a  cen- 
tury, for  the  18th  century  was  well  advanced  before  the  great  hinter- 
land bej^ond  the  several  mountain  ranges  of  the  Drakenstein  and  the 
Eastern  districts  of  Swellendam  and  Graaf-Reiuet  were  opened  up. 

As  the  flocks  of  sheep  increased  and  with  them  the  troops  of 
horses  and  herds  of  cattle  the  farmers  moved  more  inland  to  find 
fresh  pastures  and  since  the  great  pastoral  system  of  farming  came 
in  vogue,  all  additional  feeding  and  stabling  were  discarded. : 

Agricultural  implements  were  primitive,  the  wooden  plow  was 
only  dispensed  with  in  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century  and  such 

(1)  Jan  van  Bieieeclc.     " Dagverhaal  ran"  1652-1662. 

(2)  Archives  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.     1652-1795. 

59 


cultivation  of  cereals  as  was  done  at  the  time  was  only  sufficient  to 
supply  the  family  with  the  necessary  food  and  bread.  :^  Thus  the 
troops  of  horses  were  left  to  forage  for  themselves  on  the  almost 
limitless  pastures.:  Valuable  stallions,  such  as  mentioned  in  prev- 
ious pages  and  imported  before  1800,  costing  as  much  as  3000 
thaler  were  naturally  offered  the  best  stabling  and  care.  This  state  of 
affairs  was  a  most  ideal  one  for  the  breeding  of  excellent  animals ; 
with  plenty  of  feed  on  boundless  pastures  the  little  harm  done  by 
the  few  severe  winter  months  in  stunting  the  growth  and  ultimate- 
ly the  size  was  generally  overcome  by  breeding  from  pure-bred 
sires  of  good  size  and  weight;  but  with  the  limiting  of  pastures, 
however,  and  breeding  from  inferior  stallions,  new  methods  were 
required  to  deal  with  new  conditions  and  altered  circumstances. 
Unfortunately  with  few  exceptions  it  has  been  a  case  of  doing  as 
grandfather  and  father  did  and  the  glories  of  those  days  have  not 
dawned  again. 

The  earliest  accounts  of  this  branch  of  the  South  African  pas- 
toral farming  are  found  in  the  valuable  volumes  of  Lichtenstein. 
"stabling,"  says  this  authority,  "is  out  of  the  question,  horse- 
thefts  are  unknown  in  the  north-western  regions  and  the  horses  run 
on  the  pastures  day  and  night.  Every  fortnight  the  troop  is 
rounded  up  and  counted.  Now  and  then  a  foal  falls  a  prey  to 
hyneas  (wolves)  and  many  a  horse  shows  signs  that  it  had  a  bad 
time  at  the  claws  of  some  wild  animal  or  other.  This  locality" — 
comprising  to-day  the  districts  of  Calvinia,  Victoria,  West,  Rich- 
mond, Colesberg,  Hanover,  etc.,  and  then  known  as  ths  old  and  new 
Hantam  districts— "  is  eminently  suited  for  the  rearing  of  horses, 
as  it  is  a  high  plateau  region  with  never  failing  streams  and  roll- 
ing pastures  of  excellent  grass.  The  high  altitude  of  several  of  the 
flat-topped  hills  is  also  a  safeguard  against  the  destructive  disease 
that  periodically  sweeps  over  the  land  and  raises  great  havoc  among 
the  troops  of  horses  in  other  localities. '  '■* 

He  further  mentions  that  large  studs  of  over  300  horses  are  of 
frequent  occurence  both  in  the  northern  and  southern  districts  and 
that  the  stallions  generally  are  very  fine  animals  being  "either  im- 
ported English  blood  horses  or  Arabs.  The  methods  in  practice  all 
over  the  country  are  those  of  a  free  stud  and  the  appearance  of  the 

(3)  Eobert  Wallace.     "Farming  Industries  in  the  Cape  Colony"  1896- 

(4)  Heinrich  Lichtenstein.     "  Eeisen  in  Siidlichen  Afrika  1798-1806" 

60 


excellent  foals  bids  fair  for  the  future  of  the  horse-breeding  in  these 
localities. ' ' 

The  general  use  of  the  horse-wagons  and  the  management  of  the 
team  of  six  or  eight  neat  geldings  or  stallions  is  a  theme  on  which  he 
waxes  eloquent.  ' '  All  European  art  of  driving  is  put  in  the  shade 
by  the  dexterity  of  the  average  colonial  driver.  In  full  trot  or  gal- 
lop he  holds  complete  command  over  the  ropes  and  even  misses  every 
stone  or  hole  on  the  uneven  way  and  this  is  the  more  astounding 
since  he  never  makes  use  of  the  assistance  of  the  driver  at  his  side 
who  wields  a  long  whip. 

In  this  manner  the  sharpest  corners  are  rounded  witli  ease.  I 
myself  have  been  driven  by  a  bastard  Hottentot  in  a  wagon  drawn 
by  fourteen  fiery  steeds  under  tiie  very  eyes  of  the  Governor  and 
through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  camp  on  the  banks  of  the  Liesbeeks 
River  without  the  slightest  hitch  and  in  great  style.  This  skillful- 
ness  is  so  common  that  the  people  are  surprised  if  any  mention  is 
made  of  it  at  all. ' ' 

Burchell  who  travelled  South  Africa  extensively  twenty  years 
later  corroborates  these  remarks  of  Lichtenstein.^  This  method  of 
travelling  was  very  common  up  to  the  close  of  the  last  century. 

Lichtenstein  speaking  of  horse-breeding  before  1800  remarks 
that  no  horses  were  bred  for  racing  but  that  spirited  young  horses 
and  wagon  teams  were  very  comrao]i.  Breeding  for  these  purposes 
then  have  been  the  aim  of  the  averag.e  horse-breeder  of  tlie  IStli 
century.  They  certainly  attained  a  very  high  standard.  The 
wagon  team  and  all  its  outfit  has  gained  the  appro])ation  and  praise 
of  every  foreign  explorer  and  writer.  These  ideals  were  later  over- 
shadowed by  breeding  for  racing  and  were  taken  up  by  the  new  re- 
publics in  the  north  that  practically  repeated  and  adopted  the  col- 
onizing methods  of  the  older  colony. 

There  are  no  fixed  methods  in  tlie  use  of  stallions  during  the 
breeding  season;  very  valuable  stallions  are  continually  kept  at 
stable,  they  are  well  cared  for  and  are  given  all  the  exercise  and 
attention  they  merit  and  are  used  to  their  utmost  in  the  breeding 
season,  often  covering  as  many  mares  as  they  want  to.  Generally 
the  troop  is  rounded  up  and  the  stallion  is  let  loose  in  a  paddock 
with  half  a  dozen  mares  for  the  day.  This  method  is  assorted  to 
because  the  mares  are  generally  unbroken  and  owing  to  their  free 

(5)  Burchell  "Travels  in  the  Interior  of  South  Africa  1820-22.'" 

61 


t 

run  on  the  veld  they  are  fairly  wild.  When  the  stallion  is  a  very 
valuable  one  and  not  thoroughly  acclimatised  this  method  is  con- 
sidered to  be  the  least  risky.  South  African  bred  stallions  get 
some  extra  feeding  and  grooming  only  for  some  period  before  the 
breeding  season  and  as  soon  as  the  first  foals  are  dropped  the  stal- 
lion is  allowed  to  run  with  the  troop  and  do  his  two-fold  duty,  cover- 
ing the  mares  and  protecting  the  foals  against  possible  attacks  of 
smaller  wild  animals  or  mules ;-  especially  was  this  the  case  in  the 
days  when  wild  animals  were  more  numerous — mules  too  were  con- 
sidered to  arford  excellent  protection  against  the  smaller  wild  ani- 
mals, but  it  has  been  found  that  the  excessive  love  of  the  mule  for 
foals  and  his  too  hard  caresses  have  cost  the  farmer  the  loss  of  many 
a  good  foal  and  to-day  mules  are  not  allowed  to  run  in  the  same 
camp  with  young  foals. 

In  the  ordinary  stud  tlie  stallion  used  is  generally  selected  from 
the  troop  of  a  breeder  whose  reputation  as  a  breeder  of  excellent 
horses  has  been  gained  by  the  performances  of  individuals  of  his 
stud.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  or  more  imported  stallions  the  high 
repute  of  which  has  been  based  solely  on  the  qualily,  conformation 
and  performances  of  their  progeny.  To  the  average  farmer,  par- 
ticularly of  the  earlier  days,  a  high  pedigree  and  race  course  records 
were  so  many  mere  words;  a  stallion  was  judged  by  his  offspring 
and  its  capabilities — it  was  deeds  not  words  they  wanted  even  from 
their  horses,  and  it  is  due  to  these  sensible  and  efficient  methods  of 
selection  that  horse-breeding  could  withstaiid  the  shock  it  received 
three-quarters  of  a  century  later,  when  in  1860  numbers  of  worth- 
less brutes  found  their  way  to  many  of  the  studs  solely  on  the 
merit  of  high  pedigrees  and  race  course  records,  overlooking  the 
fact  that  was  borne  in  mind  so  well  during  the  past  two  centuries, 
that  a  brilliant  turf  record  and  high  sounding  pedigree  are  no  guar- 
antees of  what  a  horse  v/ill  do  at  stud,  especially  for  breeding  use- 
ful animals. 

These  methods  conducted  on  such  natural  lines,  would,  when 
carried  on  with  some  intelligent  system  of  selection  and  manage- 
ment on  sufficient  pastures  and  abundant  fresh  water  supplies,  com- 
bine within  itself  all  that  could  be  desired  for  the  ideal  and  suc- 
cessful rearing  of  a  good  horse ;  but  unfortunately  these  methods 
were  not  combined  with  sufficient  attention  and  intelligence  and 
where  the  troop  has  been  allowed  too  much  freedom  deterioration 
of  the  stock  in  general  has  been  the  result, 

62 


The  stallions  running  with  the  troop  all  the  year  round,  would 
cover  the  young  mares  at  too  tender  an  age,  and  the  colts  being 
allowed  to  run  too  long  before  castration  are  also  responsible  for  a 
great  deal  of  damage.  In  tlie  scanty  winter  months  and  during 
periods  of  droughts  the  young  stock  and  the  brood  mares  are  half 
starved  with  the  result  that  they  are  stunted  in  growtli.  Hence 
the  universal  praise  of  the  hardiness  and  all-sufficiency  of  the  Cape 
horse,  but  the  general  complaint  of  its  small  size  and  bad  conform- 
ation. 

Generally  thirty  mares  are  alotted  to  one  stallion  in  good  con- 
dition; but  very  frequently  tliis  number  is  very  much  exceeded, 
especially  if  the  stallion  has  a  high  reputation.  Young  mares  are 
not  served  before  the  third  year  and  the  great  breeders  prefer 
waiting  until  the  fourth  year. 

The  foals  are  dropped  on  the  veld  and  aid  at  birth  is  very  sel- 
don  required.  In  all  my  experience  I  do  not  remember  a  single 
instance  of  this  case  on  any  of  our  farms  or  on  those  of  our  neigh- 
bors. "Inflammation  of  the  naval  and  foal-lameness  so  common 
ill  Elurope  and  otlier  counti-ies  are  unknown  troubles  in  South  Af- 
rica. In  a  good  year  a  farmer  may  reckon  on  55%  increase  to  his 
troop,"  or  95%  of  a  season's  crop  of  foals." 

After  1860  when  the  wool  sheep  and  Angora  goat  farming  lias 
been  well  established  and  the  Cape  horse  was  gradually  being 
pushed  on  a  back  shelf,  the  limitless  pastures  were  naturally  lim- 
ited. Most  of  the  farms  were  fenced  in  and  although  tliey  general- 
ly contained  10,000  to  30,000  acres,  still  with  thousands  of  sheep, 
cattle  and  horses  the  pasturages  could  not  feed  all.  There  were  no 
opportunities  as  of  old  to  move  to  new  pastures  unless  the  farmer 
emigrated  to  the  new  republics.  Circumstances  like  these  called 
for  more  intensive  farming.  The  shortage  of  food  must  be  sup- 
plied in  some  way  or  other ;  instead  of  this  the  majority  of  fnrmers 
preferred  and  in  many  cases  were  forced  to  submit  their  flocks, 
cattle  and  horses  to  a  course  of  starvation  through  the  scant}^  winter 
months. 

The  effects  of  such  a  state  of  affairs  on  young  stock  can  be  well 
imagined.  The  horses  were  stunted  in  grov/th  and  the  cattle  al- 
though a  very  excellent  breed  mature  only  at  the  age  of  five  or  six 
years.  * 

(6)  Dr.  0.  Wegner.     Zur  Kenntniss  der  Zildafrikanische  Landwiraschaft.  1006. 

63 


Experts  and  enterprising  farmers  advised  and  followed  bet- 
ter methods  in  order  to  maintain  the  high  standard  of  past  decades. 
Colonel  Apperley,  a  great  authority  on  horse-breeding,  speaking 
about  the  general  neglect  and  indifference  of  most  breeders  says 
that  "Every  shoulder  should  be  put  to  the  wheel  to  develop  and 
improve  such  a  wonderful  and  only  half-developed  country.  Horse- 
sickness  can  be  avoided  by  erecting  proper  sheds  for  the  mares  and 
foals  and  growing  fodder  of  some  sort,  roots  or  cereals  to  feed 
them  on  during  the  prevalence  of  the  disease  which  only  lasts  two 
or  three  months — if  the  farmers  do  not  think  their  horse  stock  worth 
this  little  expense  and  trouble  they  deserve  to  suffer  and  the  Aus 
tralians  will  ultimately  deprive  them  of  the  Indian  market. '  '^  This 
was  sound  advice,  but  in  fell  on  deaf  ears  or  rather  ears  that  lis- 
tened only  to  the  bleating  of  lambs  and  they  suffered  and  lost  all 
to  the  Australians  who  with  their  "fiddle-headed  and  soft -boned 
Walers"  soon  ousted  the  deteriorated  Cape  horse  at  the  Indian 
market,  or  rather  found  their  entrance  there  by  the  absence  of  a 
better  article ;  for  only  two  decades  back  the  Cape  horse  called 
forth  the  highest  encomium  of  almost  every  cavalry  officer  who  had 
to  deal  with  him  in  India  and  elsewhere. 

The  special  conditions  of  South  African  travelling  have  called 
forth  many  inventions  which  were  the  creation  of  necessity  and 
adaptation.  The  Cape  cart  is  one  of  these  and  in  various  forms 
and  styles  it  is  to-day  the  most  common  vehicle  in  the  country.  It 
stands  on  a  pair  of  fairly  high  wheels,  is  either  a  two  or  four-seater 
and  is  drawn  by  one  or  more  pairs  of  horses,  as  the  length  of  the 
journey  or  weight  of  the  load  demands.  Another  vehicle  is  the  al- 
ready mentioned  horse-wagon  or  "Veer-wagen" — a  light  jolting 
wagon  on  springs,  which  developed  into  great  efficiency  and  popu- 
larity during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  in  the  Cape 
Colony  and  was  adopted  by  the  new  States  when  discarded  by  the 
old  Colony.  Almost  every  farmer  owned  one  for  the  conveyance 
of  his  rather  large  family  in  the  quarterly  exodus  to  the  district 
village  for  the  celebration  of  the  holy  Communion.  Every  farmer 
vied  with  his  neighbor  in  the  possession  of  the  best  team,  and  it 
was  a  real  delight  to  the  lover  of  horses  to  see  dozens  of  these  light 
wagons  roll  into  the  village  at  the  end  of  the  week  with  their  teams 


(7)   Beprint  from  Racing  Calendar  of  1885  in  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Rope.     Vol.  III. 


64 


of  sixes  or  eights— bays,  chestnuts,  dapple  greys  and  blacks— one 
could  not  make  a  choice.  A  week  or  two  before  the  occasion  the 
team  gets  its  quarterly  grooming  and  extra  feeding  to  be  quite  fit 
for  the  thirty  or  forty  mile  trip.  The  home-coming  is  generally 
in  great  style — the  pace  is  rapid  and  the  representatives,  of  the  sev- 
eral studs  are  thoroughly  put  to  the  test ;  the  speed  increases  with 
the  milage  covered  and  it  is  very  seldom  if  ever  that  a  team  appears 
not  as  fresh  after  the  journey  of  thirty  miles  as  when  they  started 
over  bad  roads  with  a  rest  of  only  an  hour  on  the  way. 

On  a  long  journey  frequent  stoppages  are  made  in  order  to 
breathe  the  horses  but  more  particularly  to  allow  the  regular  pas 
sage  of  urine,  for  if  this  precaution  is  overlooked  a  trouble  known 
in  South  Africa  as  "through  the  water"  may  occur.  This  is  oc- 
casioned by  the  swelling  of  the  bladder  and  the  paralyxing  of  the 
sphincter  muscles,  thus  unabling  the  horse  to  pass  its  urine.* 

Tliis  method  of  travelling  has  been  gone  into  with  some  detail, 
for  it  certainly  has  been  a  great  factor  in  the  breeding  of  sound  and 
beautiful  animals  possessing  great  stamina  and  endurance  and  is 
largely  responsible  for  the  large  number  of  good  horses  in  the  inde- 
pendent states  when  the  colony  horses  have  deteriorated. 

In  those  good  old  days  and  to  a  large  extent  to-day  it  was  an 
unwritten  code  of  honor  that  the  team  (specially  called  the  "Nacht- 
maal  span" — Communion  team)  should  be  perfet  animals  and  that 
it  was  a  disgrace  to  possess  a  team  of  "tiauwkoppe"  (weak  hearts). 
It  was  thus  the  desire  of  every  farmer  to  breed  from  the  best  stal- 
lion only  and  to  give  some  attention  to  the  selection  of  his  brood 
mares. 

With  the  increase  of  better  means  of  conveyance  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  good  roads  toward  the  middle  of  the  19th  Century  the 
wagon  and  team  have  largely  been  superceded  by  the  "spider" 
and  pair  or  four  in  hand.  It  is  a  light  four-wheeler  very  much  in 
use  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  Natal,  eastern  Transvaal  and 
parts  of  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  Cape  Colony ;  but  the  Cape 
cart  in  its  various  forms  is  the  ideal  and  most  popular  vehicle  in 
the  land.  In  the  cities  the  vehicles  present  a  motley  collection  from 
every  part  of  the  world— from  the  light  Rickshaw  of  Durban, 
drawn  by  a  giant  Zulu  boy  in  the  queerest  haberdashery  to  the 
London  Hansom  and  the  Arab  or  Malay  driver  Miio  is  as  great  a 
(8)   Cf.  Natal  Agricultural  Journal  Vol.  IV- 

65 


"hustler"  as  the  New  York  taxi-driver,  and  also  these  have  their 
representatives  only  too  numerously  in  all  the  large  cities. 

Out  of  this  quarterly  or  even  half-yearly  get-together  "at  the 
church"  many  incidents  of  interest  naturally  arise;  one  of  these 
is  told  i]i  a  highly  amusing  way  by  the  Swedish  traveller  and  ex- 
plorer Karstrom  and  may  be  considered  here  only  in  the  light  of 
its  effect  on  the  method  of  improving  the  quality  of  the  Cape  horse." 

The  young  fai-mer  lias  had  the  opportunity  of  meeting  the 
young  ladies  of  the  district  and  having  had  his  affection  stolen  away 
by  a  maiden  often  many  miles  away  from  his  father's  farm,  he 
naturally  has  to  pay  her  the  necessary  calls.  For  this  purpose  the 
best  horse  of  his  father's  troop  is  selected,  trained  and  groomed  to 
perfection — for  even  up  to  quite  recently  a  farmer's  standing  was 
generally  judged  by  his  equipage  or  by  his  horse  if  he  was  on 
horse-back. 

Thus  every  youth  in  the  land  is  most  particidar  on  this  part 
of  his  worldly  possessions — his  riding-horse,  shooting  pony  and  the 
carriage  pair  are  amongst  his  dearest  possessions ;  and  there  is 
a  very  effective  saying  amongst  the  farmers,  that  there  are  three 
things  which  a  man  sliould  never  lend  out  and  that  is  his  wife,  his 
riding-horge  and  his  rifle. 

The  wagon  team,  Cape  cart  and  ]'iding  horse  are  given  prom- 
inence here,  because,  many  a  well-to-do  farmer  pays  too  little  at- 
tention to  his  equipage  and  frequently  resorts  to  the  ox-wagon  when 
a  team  of  neat  geldings  would  not  oidy  have  given  greater  speed 
and  comfort  but  also  saved  time  and  multiplied  the  opportunities 
of  making  small  trips  either  for  business  or  pleasure. 

The  horse-team  would  be  more  in  vogue,  had  we  still  those  good 
light  horse-wagons.  To  hitch  a  team  of  horses  to  the  unwieldy 
ox-wagon  is  to  add  injury  to  insult,  to  say  the  least.  The  light 
trolly-wagon  would  be  a  great  asset  on  the  farm. 

The  great  drawback  to  these  teams  are  of  course  the  problem 
of  feeding.  To  buy  feed  on  the  way  when  it  is  not  the  general 
usage  is  too  expensive.  Wealthy  farmers  own  automobiles  but  at 
the  same  aime  they  alwaj^s  possess  several  good  pairs  of  horses. 
Some  smaller  details  deserve  some  mention  here. 

South  African  harness  is  decidedly  better  than  most  of  the  im- 
ported European  make.     Like  almost  everything  else  it  is  charac- 

(9)   H.  Karstrom.     "A  Voyage  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  1820. 


teristic  of  the  puritanical  tastes  of  the  people.  It  is  unostentations 
yet  durable  and  neat  and  is  not  made  out  of  tanned  leather  sewn 
with  cotton  or  flax  that  goes  to  pieces  after  several  showers  of  rain 
on  it  and  under  the  trying  sub-tropical  sun  and  dry  air.  The 
leather  is  prepared  by  a  process  of  currying  until  it  is  pliant 
and  soft,  possessing  an  extreme  flexibility  and  whiteness  when  prop- 
erly prepared.  The  several  parts  are  then  cut  out  from  the  hide  and 
sewn  together  with  leather  lacing  prepared  in  tlie  same  way  from 
the  skins  of  certain  antelopes  and  goats.  With  silver  claspings  and 
moderate  trimming  they  decidedly  add  elegance  to  a  fine  pair  of 
horses  and  greatly  enhance  the  smartness  and  good  style  of  any 
epuipage.  Dr.  Wegner,  director  of  the  East  Prussian  studs  at 
Norden  remarks  amongst  others  in  a  report  on  South  African  Ag- 
ricultural matters  that:  "the  beautifully  prepared  harness  made 
out  of  a  chamois-dressed  and  oil-tawed  white-leather  could  serve  as 
an  example  to  the  stables  of  many  a  German  estate.""  The  high 
price  of  this  kind  of  harness,  however,  allows  of  the  importation  of 
a  large  quantity  of  a  cheaper  article. 

The  general  habit  of  riding  on  horse-back  and  the  many  duties 
performed  by  their  mounts  have  called  forth  many  points  that  have 
influenced  the  breeding  and  management  of  the  Cape  horse. 

Horse-back  riding  is  universal,  from  boyhood  to  old  age  the 
South  African  farmer  is  acquainted  with  the  saddle's  seat;  almost 
every  girl  one  comes  across  is  a  perfect  horse-woman  and  a  man  who 
cannot  ride  is  a  rara  avis  and  if  he  is  a  farmer  he  is  looked  at  with 
some  contempt  even  by  small  boys. 

Jan  van  Eiebeeck,  founder  of  white  South  Africa  is  probably 
the  first  horseman  wlio  enjoyed  a  canter  along  the  slopes  of  the 
magnificent  mountains  of  the  Cape  peninsula,  fanned  by  the  breezes 
of  tvv'o  oceans.  Seated  on  his  favorite  charger  the  "Roode  Vos" 
v/ith  his  picturesque  dress  of  tlie  17th  Century — flov/iug  ostrich 
plumes,  gold  embroidery  and  immaculate  lace — it  was  considered 
that  he  would  display  the  insignia  of  high  office  and  lordship  most 
effectively  to  the  hordes  of  natives,  who  were  awe-inspired  at  this 
mighty  being  riding  on  an  animal  they  have  never  seen  before." 
Since  those  late  autumn  days  of  1652  when  van  Riebeeck  sported 

(10)  Dr.  0.  Wegner,  " Zur  Kenntnisse  der  Siidafril'anische  Landwirtschaft" 

1906. 

(11)  Dr.  E.  C.  Godee-Molshergen,  "Jan  van  Bieheecl',  Stichter  van  Hollands 

Zuid  Afrika,  1913- " 

67 


his  charger  in  the  service  of  the  state  to  the  present  day  there  is  a 
close  link  between  every  farm  boy  or  man  and  his  pony  or  pair. 

In  the  rounding  up  of  cattle,  on  shooting  expeditions,  on  long 
journeys  over  bad  roads,  on  pleasure  rides  and  even  on  the  war 
path  these  same  ponies  are  the  inseparable  and  trusty  friends  of  the 
South  African. 

The  methods  of  breaking  in  young  horses  are  unique.  The 
foals  are  never  meddled  with  and  grow  up  in  all  the  freedom  and 
wild  glory  of  foalhood  until  the  third  or  fourth  year  when  they 
meet  their  master  to  whose  will  they  ultimately  give  way  with  that 
fidelity  and  williugiiess  which  has  endeared  the  horse  to  man  forever. 

That  excellent  horseman,  Captain  Hayes,  gives  a  very  accurate 
description  of  the  method.  "The  way  in  which  horses  are  broken 
to  saddle  in  South  Africa  is  one  which  I  have  never  seen  practised 
in  any  other  country.  It  is  charmingly  simple  and  has  its  good 
points  as  well  as  its  hnd  ones.  It  consists  in  tying  the  head  of  the 
neophyte  close  up  to  that  of  a  steiuly  horse  by  means  of  a  cord 
connecting  the  respective  headstalls  worn  by  the  animals.  After 
they  have  been  both  bridled  and  saddled  the  "  schoolmasjter "  is 
first  mounted  and  then  another  man  gets  on  the  young  one  who  is 
powerless  to  buck  or  bolt  on  account  of  his  head  being  fixed  to  that 
of  the  steady  "schoolmaster."  Besides  this  the  fact  of  his  being 
alongside  another  horse  gives  him  confidence  and  no  matter  how 
wild  he  may  be  lie  will  learn  in  a  short  time  to  carry  his  burden 
and  regulate  his  pace  accoj'ding  to  tliat  of  his  companion.  As  he 
settles  down  to  work  the  connecting  cord  may  gradually  be  loos- 
ened out  until  at  last  it  can  be  taken  off  altogether.  This  is  a 
capital  plan  if  oJie  has  a  good  break-horse  and  if  no  better  way  is 
known.  ""^^ 

"The  saddles  used  are  wide  towards  the  center  and  have  a 
good  dip  in  them  *  *  *  *  the  weight  is  sometimes  very  great  and 
they  are  clumsy  affairs.  Riding  is  altogether  different  in  South 
Africa  as  it  is  in  Australia,  Canada  or  America.  The  country  is 
clear  and  open  and  jumping  of  necessity  falls  away.  The  "achter- 
ryder"  has  his  proteges  in  the  syce,  mafoo  or  bettoe  of  India,^ 
China  or  Japan.  Burchell  when  travelling  in  South  Africa  in  1820- 
22  also  remarked  upon  this  custom.  The  "  achterryder "  is  an 
accompanying  orderly  or  groom,  who  is  to  take  care  of  the  horses 

(12)    Captain  M.  E.  Hayes.     " Among  Horses  in  South  Africa.'.     1900, 

68 


On  a  long  journey ;  but  as  frequently  lie  was  an  object  of  outward 
show." 

W&  find  thus  that  the  methods  practised  for  the  two  centuries 
preceding  1860  were  very  simple  and  effective  and  made  very  small 
demands  on  extra  feed  and  care  as  long  as  the  conditions  for  such 
free  studs  were  favorable,  that  is,  when  new  pasturages  and  fresh 
streams  of  water  were  abundant.  The  good  sense  tlie  farmers 
showed  those  days  in  the  selection  of  their  stallions,  and  their  meth- 
ods in  training  and  managing  their  teams  and  riding-horses  have 
done  much  to  make  that  branch  of  their  agricultural  pursuits  very 
efficient  and  valuable.  With  closer  settlement,  the  fencing  in  of 
the  farms  and  the  increase  of  the  flocks  and  herds  of  cattle,  the 
facilities  of  the  past  gradually  shrunk  within  the  confines  of  the 
farm  and  in  periods  of  drought  and  scarcity  there  were  no  new  pas- 
tures to  retreat  to  and  the  extra  feed  and  water  had  to  be  supplied 
by  the  farmer ;  this  demand  has  been  considered  extravagant ;  for 
the  flocks  of  Merinos  and  Angoras  were  found  to  tlirive  well  under 
conditions  that  are  unfavorable  to  the  successful  rearing  of  hq^ses 
— for  horses  frequently  will  not  graze  wliere  other  animals  have 
browsed  before — and  owing  to  the  loss  of  the  Indian  market  for  the 
usual  supply  of  remounts  and  the  comparatively  more  lucrative 
occupation  of  wool  :sheep  farming  the  horse-breeding  industry  was 
gradually  being  shifted  on  the  back  shelf. 

This  preference  of  other  branches  of  pastoral  farming  at  the 
expense  of  another,  has  been  one  of  the  most  serious  causes  of  the 
deterioration  of  the  Cape  horse. 

Many  hints  and  good  advice  have  been  givoi  by  the  Government 
and  eminent  breeders  and  expert  horsemen  ;  but  the  stone  was  roll- 
ing and  the  Cape  horse  so  efficient  before  this  period  and  on  which 
so  much  care  and  pride  was  bestowed  in  the  past  was  left  to  work 
out  his  own  salvation.  In  a  few  localities,  here  and  there  in  the 
Colony  as  well  as  in  the  neighboring  independencies,  luckily,  the 
standard  of  the  previous  decades  was  kept  up  and  there  is  still 
good  hope  to  have  the  number  of  good  horses  as  plentiful,  propor- 
tionately, as  the  number  of  good  Merino  sheep  and  valuable  pedi- 
gree ostriches  or  Angoras. 

With  the  advent  of  a  new  era  in  matters  of  agriculture,  new 
machinery,  new  methods  and  new  ideas,  the  order  of  things  needs 

(13)    William  Burchell,  "Travels  in  Soulhern  Africa.     1822." 

69 


must  be  nodified  and  with  an  intelligent  application  of  new  meth- 
ods to  older  and  well  tried  ones  there  snrely  need  be  no  overlapping 
of  the  several  industries  nor  the  exclusion  of  the  one  at  the  expense 
and  detriment  of  the  other;  we  should  be  more  resourceful  and 
wise  enough  to  meet  such  demands  as  would  be  well  worth  the 
extra  trouble.  Whatever,  though,  we  do,  we  should  not  omit  those 
methods  which  have  made  the  Cape  Horse  the  equal  and  often 
a  better  in  the  company  of  any  breed  of  horses  when  hardiness, 
endurance  and  Stamina  were  called  for.  We  should  supply  his 
just  wants,  without  any  cuddling  and  peppering  which  may  tend 
to  make  him  a  "soft  animal",  like  his  brother  in  Europe  and 
other  countries,  thereby  making  him  more  susceptible  to  disease 
than  otherwise.  He  should  be  as  much  as  possible  a  product  of 
Nature.  This  is  the  lesson  of  the  past  that  should  not  be  forgotten 
when  the  new  and  very  Jiecessary  methods  become  more  general. 
Another  lesson  from  the  days  when  horse-breeding  was  in  its  zenith 
is  the  selection  of  stallions  which  after  fulfilling  all  the  ordinary 
requirements  of  pedigree,  height,  bone,  conformation  and  race 
coRrse  records  will  also  prove  their  sterling  qualities  in  their  off- 
spring. 

The  gist  of  all  the  advanced  arguments  and  propounded  theo- 
ries on  the  question  of  deterioration  of  the  Cape  Horse  as  far  as 
they  are  concerned  with  the  methods  of  improving  the  breed  and 
have  also  been  practised  to  some  extent,  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
following  sentences,  giving  extracts  from  articles  written  by  various 
experts  on  the  matter.    , 

Veterinary  Surgeon  J.  A.  Nium  in  a  very  interesting  article 
advises  that  some  extra  feeding  must  be  done  during  the  scanty 
winter  months.  Special  care  should  be  given  to  the  brood  mares  and 
foals;  it  is  practically  of  no  use  to  feed  the  two-year-olds  when 
they  have  already  been  permanently  stunted  in  growth  by  a  course 
of  starvation ;  they  should  be  given  some  shelter  during  the  severe 
cold  weather  of  the  worst  winter  months  and  well  fed  for  the  first 
two  years  and  then  allowed  to  take  charge  of  themselves  and  increase 
that  hardiness  and  stamina  which  are  the  chief  characteristics  of 
his  breed.^* 

To  resort  to  additional  feeding  for  any  length  of  time  may  not 
be  practicable,  not  economical  and  too  expensive ;  but  it  all  depends 
(14)  Reports  on  the  Horse  Supply  of  South  Africa — Archives  1888. 

70 


from  what  source  the  extra  feed  is  obtained ;  if  this  has  to  be  bought 
it  is  quite  clear  that  the  foal  would  not  be  able  to  pay  his  rent ;  but 
it  so  happens  that  the  best  horse  breeding-  districts  possess  large 
tracts  of  arrable  land  and  these  are  not  cultivated  owing  to  the  long 
distance  from  the  railway  and  the  consequent  higli  cost  of  produc- 
tion ;  this  land  can  with  the  application  of  the  drjdand  system  of 
cultivation  be  made  to  produce  all  the  necessary  extra  supplies  of 
feed,  that  are  wanted  for  the  successful  rearing  of  a  crop  of  excell- 
ent foals ;  and  the  mares  themselves  as  well  as  the  three-year-olds 
can  be  put  to  this  work;  1he  mares  are  tamed  and  this  is  always  of 
decided  advantage  and  the  foals  are  all  the  better  in  getting  accus- 
tomed to  man  and  the  general  routine  of  the  farmyard.  Some  good 
advice  can  be  taken  note  of  from  the  methods  practised  by  our 
neighbors  in  German  South  West  Africa,  where  they  have  given 
preference  to  the  Cape  Horse  as  foundation  stock  after  having  given 
a  trial  to  almost  every  other  breed.  Putting  aside  the  usual  method- 
ical precautions  and  practices  which  will  be  quite  right  in  a  stud 
in  Germany  but  quite  superfluous  here;  we  can  still  pick  up  many 
a  good  hint. 

Herr  Schlettwein.  one  of  the  few  and  a  very  successful  horse 
breeder  advises  that  the  mares  should  do  their  share  of  the  farm 
work ;  a  moderate  amount  of  ploughing  after  the  breeding  season 
will  do  the  brood  rnares  every  good;  she  is  tamed  and  is  easier 
handled  and  the  wildness  of  the  foals  is  g]"adually  overcome  Be- 
sides developing  the  strength  and  general  structure  of  the  mare  she 
also  helps  paying  her  keep  by  providing  the  extra  food  she  and  her 
foal  require  in  scanty  periods. 

This  is  a  practise  which  is  (piite  overlooked  in  South  Africa 
generally ;  very  few  mares  are  broken  in  and  in  the  breeding  season 
a  troop  is  more  diflicidt  to  handle  than  at  ordinary  times  and  this 
is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  reasons  why  many  of  our  methods  in 
breeding  and  managing  are  so  slipshod  and  careless  and  too  often 
unsuccessful  and  unprofitable. 

In  his  excellent  book  Schlettwein  lays  great  stress  on  the  selec- 
tion of  the  breeding  material  and  points  out  that  the  breeding  of 
horses  is  of  far  greater  importance  than  tliat  of  sheep  or  cattle; 
for  ill-bred  specimens  of  these  can  easily  be  disposed  of  to  the 
butcher,  whereas  the  badly  bred  horse  lives  to  breed  on  or  fails  to 
find  a  market. ^'^  Most  of  the  European  and  American  fodder 
(15)   Carl  Schlettwein.     " Die  Farmer  in  Beutscli  Slidwestafrila  1909." 

71 


grasses  are  grown  with  success  as  soon  as  the  proper  varieties  for 
the  various  localities  are  fixed  upon  and  it  has  been  proved  over  and 
over  by  enterprising  farmers  in  all  the  horse-breeding  districts  with 
a  little  extra  attention  and  exertion  sufficient  extra  food  could  be 
supplied  very  cheaply  to  carry  the  foals,  brood  mares  and  other 
young  stock  through  the  two  or  three  severest  winter  months.  With 
very  little  expense  large  hay  stacks  con  also  be  made  of  the  indi- 
genous grasses,  which  in  the  height  of  the  season  are  most  luxuriant, 
and  is  very  nutritive  as  a  hay  fodder — these  haystacks  are  an  excel- 
lent precaution  against  an  unexpected  drought,  when  the  ordinary 
winter  supplies  run  out.  The  famous  studs  of  Malmesbury  Rob- 
ertson and  Caledon  are  situated  in  the  richest  grain  districts  and 
the  methods  above  described  are  in  full  practice  and  they  have  also 
gradually  found  an  adoption  in  those  districts  that  are  in  greater 
need  of  them,  owing  to  the  lower  percentage  of  the  annual  rainfall j 
but  there  is  yet  room  for  vast  improvement  and  some  knowledge  of 
economic  farming  and  modern  ideas  and  principles  of  intelligent 
manipulation  of  the  various  forces  of  agricultural  wealth  must  be 
instilled  into  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation.  Thanks  to  the 
exertions  of  a  wise  and  liberal  Government  things  are  moving  in  the 
right  direction  and  great  results  have  been  and  are  being  achieved. 

Although  man  cannot  change  Nature's  laws,  he  certainly  can 
direct  her  forces  to  his  advantage  and  minimize  their  severity,  and 
the  failure  to  realize  this  fact  to  a  fuller  extent  has  been  the  cause 
that  every  drought  carries  away  hundreds  of  thousands  of  stock 
through  starvation,  when  about  half  if  not  all  of  it  cauld  have  been 
saved.  To  lose  stock  during  the  ordinary  severe  winter  months  is 
due  to  sheer  neglect  and  such  farmers  deserve  the  censure  if  not 
the  just  contemjjt  of  their  neighbors  wlio  do  not  lose  any  through 
want  of  food. 

In  these  daj^s  of  specilization  it  would  be  unwise  to  keep  up  a 
certain  farming  industry  at  the  expense  of  others  or  where  the  re- 
quireiiients  necessary  for  its  successful  upkeep  cannot  be  met  witli 
by  the  natural  resources  om  the  locality. 

Extensive  and  intensive  systems  of  farming  should  be  closely 
studied  and  the  relative  value  of  each  compared  in  proportion  to 
cost  of  production.  We  frequently  come  across  farmers  who  put 
all  their  attention  into  a  dairy  herd  when  the  nearest  creamery  or 
railway  station  is  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  away;    all  extra 

72 


food  supplies  are  given  the  dairy  herd  while  his  young  stock,  fine 
tollies  and  most  promising  foals  are  subjected  to  spare  diet  in  order 
to  get  ''quick  returns"  from  the  dairy — the  tollies  are  three  years 
late  for  the  market  and  they  are  poor  beef  cattle  even  at  that,  while 
the  promising  foals  run  in  a  mob  and  find  no  market.  Does  the 
dairy  make  up  for  all  this?  This  wise  man  keeps  no  diary  along 
with  his  dairy  and  ignorance  is  bliss.  Instances  of  this  are  unhap- 
pily too  frequent  and  can  only  be  rectified  by  education ;  happily 
the  enterprise  is  there,  extra  feed  is  supplied  but  fed  into  wrong 
channels. 

Horse-breeding  should  not  be  carried  on  where  the  natural  and 
first  requirements  for  the  successful  rearing  of  sound  and  useful 
animals  are  wanting.  In  the  selection  of  a  farm  for  horse-breed- 
ing, nothing  can  excel  a  limestone  formation,  as  the  water  and 
grasses  of  such  farms  so  situated  contain  a  due  proportion  of  those 
minerals  so  essential  to  the  natural  formation  and  development  of 
bone.^*'  Low  marchy  grounds  are  very  unfavorable  to  the  consti- 
tution of  the  horse,  to  the  oriental  or  Thoroughbred  type  at  least 
and  tend  to  make  him  coarse,  unwieldy  and  generally  unsound. 
South  Africa  happily  possesses  large  tracts  of  land  containing  these 
requirements  in  addition  to  the  extremely  dry  air  and  a  temperate 
climate  and  is  eminently  suited  for  horse-breeding — especially  of 
the  Arab  and  his  kind  who  find  there  a  second  home  under  better 
grazing  conditions  and  besides  the  Thoroughbred  can  no  where  else 
be  bred  to  better  perfection. 

With  the  proper  farm  selected  and  thoroughly  fenced  and  di- 
vided into  separate  camps — this  is  a  sine  qua  non  in  practical  and 
successful  horse-breeding — proper  accommodation  must  be  provided 
for  the  stallions  and  good  shelter  for  the  mares  during  the  cold 
winter  months,  for  although  well  fed  he  will  not  grow  and  since  this 
want  of  size  is  often  the  only  complaint  against  our  horses,  the  shelter 
from  cold  is  an  absolute  imperative  in  order  that  every  facility  be 
given  the  young  foal  to  grow.  By  these  shelters  are  not  meant 
the  stablijig  of  about  two  hundred  and  more  of  brood  mares  and 
foals ;  but  such  sheds  as  would  give  sufficient  warmth  on  cold  and 
frosty  nights  and  can  be  made  use  of  by  the  animals  at  their  own 


(16)  Compare  Dr.  H.  C.  Hutclieon,  Chief  Veterinary  Surgeon  and  later  Di- 
rector of  Agriculture  for  the  Cape  Colony.  Ag.  Jour,  of  Cape  Colony 
1906. 

73 


pleasure  and  where  sufficient  hay  and  other  feeds  are  in  easy  reach 
of  the  animals. 

The  districts  in  the  Union  best  adapted  by  nature  to  the  profit- 
able rearing  of  horses  are  all  the  districts  about  the  Cape  peninsula, 
especially  Malmesbury,  Caledon,  Swellendam  Montague  and  Rob- 
ertson; to  the  west  and  west  central;  the  famous  Bokkeveld  (the 
old  Hantam  of  the  18th  Century)  and  the  districts  of  the  New  Han- 
tam  of  the  early  days  of  the  19th  century  and  comprising  to-day 
the  districts  of  Colesberg,  Hanover,  Beaufort  West,  Prince  Albert, 
Hopetown  and  all  those  districts  bordering  on  the  southern  bank  of 
the  Orange  river  and  east  of  the  Colesberg  district.  In  the  east 
and  south  east;  the  districts  of:  Somerset  East,  Graaf-Reinet, 
Cradock,  Middleburg,  Tarka  Stad  and  certain  portions  of  Grikwa- 
land  East.  Also  portions  of  Grikwaland  West,  all  of  the  Orange 
Free  State  Province,  a  greater  portion  of  Natal  Province,  and  all 
of  those  districts  of  the  Transvaal  Province  bordering  on  the  banks 
of  the  Vaal  river.  With  very  few  exceptions  these  districts  all  lie 
in  those  localities  which  are  underlaid  by  the  geological  strata  of 
the  Karroo  beds  which  are  generally  rich  in  lime  and  produce  very 
good  grasses;  with  sufficient  rainfall  and  succulent  and  nutritive 
shrubs  and  other  plants  in  localities  of  smaller  rainfall.^^ 

"Few  parts  in  the  world  are  so  well  adapted  by  nature  for  the 
breeding  of  horses"  as  those  just  mentioned  "and  it  is  surprising 
that  this  industry,  the  most  profitable  branch  of  pastoral  farming 
is  not  pursued  on  more  defined  lines  by  the  average  South  African 
farmer — other  countries  may  compete  and  beat  us  out  of  the  field 
with  wool.  Also  Mohair  and  Ostrich  feathers  are  articles  subject 
to  the  caprices  of  the  leaders  of  fashion — and  they  are  very  capri- 
cious— and  consequently  liable  to  serious  fluctuation  in  prices.  But 
the  demand  for  good  horses  is  large  and  continuous  and  no  country 
in  the  world  can  rear  better  horses  and  more  economically  than  in 
these  localities  of  the  Union,  where  the  dreaded  disease  of  "roar- 
ing" is  unknown  and  horse  sickness  seldom  prevails  and  can  be  made 
absolutely  harmless.  In  a  well  regulated  stud  I  question  if  the  last 
named  disease  would  ever  be  heard  of."^^ 

Coming  to  more  modern  times  we  find  that  only  those  studs 

(17)  Ch-ey  Eattray.     Agricultural  Journal   of  the   Cape  of   Good   Hope   Vol. 

XXXIII.     Also  Rogers  and  du  Toit.     "Geology  of  Cape  Colony  1910." 

(18)  Grey   Eattray.     Agricidtural   Jour,   of   the    Cape   of   Good   Hope.     Vol. 

XXXIII. 

74 


that  are  conducted  by  methods  that  keep  pace  with  the  times  and 
existing  conditions  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

If  we  read  the  scanty  accounts  on  horse-breeding  in  the  17th 
Century  correctly,  we  find  that  besides  all  the  praiseworthy  methods 
of  selecting  good  sires  and  the  grading  of  brood  mares  the  feeding 
problem  has  been  a  fundamental  one. 

Referring  again  to  Lichtenstein's  accounts  we  find  that  the  best 
studs  were  those  where  crops  were  raised  and  that  undoubtedly 
extra  feeds  were  supplied  if  they  were  required — which  do  not  seem 
to  have  been  the  case  of  considering  the  extent  of  new  and  fresh  pas- 
tures. Remarking  on  the  studs  in  the  South  he  mentions  that  "Euro- 
pean grasses  are  cultivated  with  great  success  and  especially  does 
lucerne  do  well.  Lucerne  fields  frequently  yield  eight  cuttings  dur- 
ing the  season." 

It  may  incidentally  be  mentioned  here  that  this  particular 
region  has  its  rainy  season  during  the  winter  months.  It  is  a  mild 
winter.  Forage  and  good  pastures  abound  and  even  during  the 
summer  months  there  is  sufficient  rainfall  to  keep  the  pastures  and 
forage  crops  in  good  condition.  The  same  conditions  exist  for  the 
districts  of  Mantagu,  Robertson  and  Caledon  lying  South  East  of 
the  Cape  Peninsula,  and  containing  some  very  valuable  studs. 

The  northern  and  north  eastern  districts  and  all  the  rest  have 
their  rainy  season  during  the  summer.  They  are  semi-arid  regions 
and  the  winter  although  a  snowless  one  is  fairly  severe  and  the  pas- 
tures are  withered  up  and  of  poor  nourishing  value.  Still  these 
plateau  regions  with  its  dry  air  and  rich  lime  formations  are  the 
best  horse-breeding  districts. 

Tlie  northern  studs  in  the  Hantam  district  were  situated  along 
never  failing  brooks  or  fountains,  the  soils  of  which  were  rich  and 
the  grass  very  nourishing.  The  flat-topped  hills  also  afford  im- 
munity to  the  horses  during  the  season  when  ' '  horse-sickness ' '  pre- 
vails. AVith  few  exceptions  these  localities  are  the  best  horse-breed- 
ing districts.  The  stud  "Grote  Toorn"  which  was  famous  then 
and  consisted  of  "over  300  breeding  horses  and  some  of  the  best 
English  and  Arabian  Stallions,  "is  still  perhaps  the  most  famous  stud 
to-day.  It  is  now  owned  by  Sir  Abe  Bailey  and  some  of  South 
Africa's  most  famous  runners  are  bred  here. 

The  method  in  practice  here  and  typical  for  all  the  other  great 
breeders  of  this  district  which  holds  more  of  these  rich  farmers 


to 


than  any  other,  are  about  the  same  as  those  practised  by  the  farmers 
of  more  than  a  century  ago,  besides  that  greater  attention  is  paid 
to  the  proper  feeding  of  the  young  stock. 

"Pure-bred  stock  is  largely  used  and  are  well  provided  for  by 
large  lucerne  fields.  The  troop  of  horses  consist  of  100  veld  mares 
of  colonial  type — as  much  as  possible  on  the  lines  of  the  old  Hantam 
animal — and  50  Thoroughbreds.  There  are  no  less  than  six  Thor- 
oughbred stallions,  among  them  are : 

1.  Leisure  Hour  of  the  St.  Simon  stock  and  a  great  asset  to  the 
stud.  2.  Sidus  (St.  Simon — Star  of  Fortune  by  Hermit).  3.  Per- 
seus (Persimmin — Urania — Hanover — Wandah).  4.  Abelard  by 
Leisure  Hour  is  South  African  bred.  He  is  a  bay  and  sixteen  hands 
high  and  the  winner  of  numerous  prizes. 

The  other  two  are  of  good  pedigree  and  obtained  at  high  prices 
and  all  are  in  excellent  condition. 

An  extensive  range  of  loose  boxes  are  fitted  up  for  the  Thor- 
oughbreds, while  ranges  upon  ranges  of  sheds  are  available  for  the 
other  home-bred  mares  and  for  the  young  stock.  There  is  plenty 
of  excellent  grazing  and  lucerne  for  the  young  stock  and  brood 
mares.  "^^ 

With  the  exception  of  the  number  and  standard  of  stallions 
the  studs  in  this  region — Colesbery  district — are  of  the  same  style. 
The  prime  factor  is  the  feeding  of  the  young  stock  and  the  protec- 
tion against  extreme  cold  weather. 

Another  description  of  a  stud  with  a  century's  fame  from  the 
same  source  would  not  be  out  of  place  here.  It  is  the  stud  of  Mr. 
van  Zyl  now  owned  by  Mr.  Schimpers.  This  farm  was  devoted  to 
this  purpose  since  1819  when  Mr.  Louw  was  assigned  it  by  Lord 
Charles  Somerset  and  bought  Sorcerer,  the  finest  horse  seen  at  the 
Cape  up  to  that  time.^°  He  also  brought  Sir  Hercules  imported  in 
utero  and  son  of  the  great  Irish  horse  Sir  Hercules  from  the  old 
Hantam  and  possessed  between  three  and  four  hundred  breeding 
stock.  The  van  Zyl's  have  been  carrying  on  work  here  systematic- 
ally since  1849  and  for  many  years  had  few  equals  in  all  the  settled 
parts.  The  name  of  van  Zyl,  Melck  and  Kotz5  was  for  many  de- 
cades the  highest  pedigree  amongst  farmers  in  their  own  and  other 
districts  and  even  in  the  old  republics. 

(19)  F.  D.  McDermott.     Bural  Cape  Colony  in  Agricvitmral  Journal  of  Cape  of 

Good  Hope  Vol  XXVII. 

(20)  Records  of  the  Cape  Colony  No.  389. 


It  was  here  that  some  of  the  most  famous  racers  and  winners 
of  the  day  were  bred.  "It  was  here  that  Sir  Amyas  Leigh,  Hark- 
away,  St.  Augustine,  Champagne  Charlie,  War  Eagle,  and  many 
horses  of  fame,  pedigree  and  real  merit  have  followed  one  another 
at  stud  through  half  a  century  and  gave  the  racing  world  such 
cracks  as  Prosecutor,  Debtor,  Friendship  and  others.  The  pro- 
geny of  the  Arab  "Damascus"  increased  the  list  with  Robroy. 
Hantam  Belle,  Witkous  and  many  more." 

"The  atmosphere  of  the  old  homestead  is  redolent  of  the 
Thoroughbred.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  when  in  the  entrance 
hall  one  of  the  first  things  that  catches  the  eye  among  a  fine  col- 
lection of  horns,  heads  and  sporting  trophies  is  the  pastern  of  the 
famous  "Champagne  Charlie"  the  sire  of  Hard  Cach,  Evelyn 
Wood,  and  others  whose  names  are  written  in  the  classic  records 
of  great  performers," 

These  were  the  palmy  days  of  racing  in  South  Afi-ica  wlien 
with  the  importation  of  some  of  the  best  Thoroughbreds  from  P^ng- 
land  the  Standard  was  a  high  one  and  the  speed  t(;rriffic.  These 
days  are  gone  and  the  horses  too,  but  they  are  great  records  to  live 
up  to — to  breed  to.     What  has  been  done  can  be  done  again. 

An  encouraging  feature  is  that  the  breeders  in  this  greatest 
and  best  horse-breeding  district  are  all  aiming  at  reproducing  the 
old  Hantam  type  with  improvements.  "And  it  is  gratifying  to 
know,"  remarks  Mr.  McDermot  in  1905  after  aii  extensive  survey 
of  most  of  the  studs  in  these  localities,  "that  there  is  every  prospect 
of  the  breed  being  revived  as  soon  as  suitable  mares  are  available. 
It  takes  time  only;  with  the  introduction  of  such  excellent  blood 
into  the  district,  the  day  should  not  be  far  off  when  the  old  glories 
are  revived." 

Other  Thoroughbred  studs  exist  in  the  Eastern  districts.  Most 
famous  perhaps  is  that  of  Senator  Charles  Southey  who  bred  Camp- 
fire  II  that  went  to  show  England  that  South  Africa  can  breed 
Thoroughbreds  equal  to  its  own.  At  Holesowen  Mr.  Hilton  Barber 
also  keeps  up  an  excellent  stud  with  good  blood  stock  both  colonial 
and  imported.  Both  the  Transvaal  Orange  Free  State  studs  breed 
from  Thoroughbreds  mainly.  The  Transvaal  Turf  Club  is  well  pro 
vided  for  by  the  studs  of  several  of  the  great  mine  owners  and  other 
wealthy  men.  The  Hon.  Wyndham  and  Mr.  Charles  Wood  are 
very  prominent  breeders  of  great  winners.     And  many  excellent 

77 


runners  and  horses  of  great  value  are  bred  by  Messrs.  Schirapers, 
van  der  Merwe,  Wessels  and  many  other  breeders  in  the  Orange 
Free  State.  Both  Sir  John  French  and  General  Botha  got  their 
favorite  chargers  from  Mr.  van  der  Merwe 's  stud  during  the  war 
and  feats  done  by  representatives  of  these  studs  are  worth  to  be 
scrolled  on  the  classic  records  of  great  horses ;  it  is  a  great  pity  no 
fuller  accounts  are  obtainable  of  the  method^  and  registers  of  these 
btuds  as  they  would  act  as  strong  advertisements  and  incentives  to 
breed  on  the  best  lines  and  produce  the  best. 

Among  other  methods  for  the  furtherence  of  horse-breeding 
may  be  mentioned  the  Government  Studs,  Experimental  Stations 
and  Agricultural  Schools ;  all  under  the  control  of  the  Agricultural 
Department,  which  although  on  a  smaller  scale  is  firmly  based  on 
the  lines  of  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  United  States.^^ 

The  history  of  these  institutions  are  like  that  of  the  country 
itself,  subjected  to  continual  change  and  frequently  total  oblit- 
eration; and  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  continued  account  of  them. 
With  the  decline  of  the  general  horse  stock  that  began  after  1860. 
the  Thoroughbred  fell  into  disuse  for  some  time  and  Hackneys, 
Clevelands  and  Roadsters  were  imported  by  the  Government  and 
breeders  and  either  stood  at  stud  on  some  Government  station  or 
other,  were  leased  to  great  breeders  or  sold  to  them. 

The  use  of  these  breeds  as  sires  with  the  light  Cape  mare  soon 
fell  into  disuse  and  are  now  only  used  either  in  a  first  instalment 
crossing  or  as  pure-breds. 

Government  studs  date  back  as  early  as  1804,  when  among 
others  "some  Hantam  mares  improved  by  crosses  with  imported 
English  horses  were  purchased  and  Mr.  van  Reyneveld  allowed  the 
services  of  a  handsome  stallion  gratis."-^ 

The  Stud  or  Government  farm  as  it  was  called  contained 
25,308^  acres  and  was  situated  in  the  Malmesbury  district.  In 
1823  it  was  still  in  existence  and  at  the  command  of  Lord  Charles 
it  was  increased  among  others  by  two  imported  Thoroughbreds  of 
good  pedigree  and  high  spirit.  The  fee  for  covering  mares  was 
six  rixdollars.  Since  then  we  lose  sight  of  this  stud  and  it  seems 
the  Government  farms  were  abandoned  and  the  great  horse  breed- 
ers of  those  days :   Cloete,  van  Reenen,  van  Zyl,  Kotze,  van  Breda, 

(21)  Compare   Dr.    William   Macdonald    The    Transvaal   Agricultural   Journal 

Vol.  IV. 

(22)  Eecords  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XV. 

78 


Reitz,  Rogerson,  Melck  and  others  became  the  trustees  for  the  up- 
keep of  a  high  standard  and  improvement  of  the  breed,  which 
reached  its  highest  point  in  the  fifties  of  the  last  century. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  a  full  survey  of  the  various  studs  and 
the  material  used;  but  collectively  they  show  that  about  95  percent 
of  the  sires  used  are  Thoroughbreds.  Here  and  there  Arabs  arc 
found  and  also  Hackneys  and  Clevelands,  but  they  are  only  used  as 
first  instalment  sires  in  improved  studs. 

In  the  provinces  of  the  Orange  Free  State  and  Transvaal  Vap 
Government  owtis  several  excellent  stud  farms. 

At  Grootvlei  in  the  Orange  Free  State  there  are  17  Thorough- 
breds, four  Arabs,  one  Shire  and  one  half-breed.  These  stallions 
are  leased  out  to  the  farmers  during  the  breeding  season.  The 
farm  also  possesses  a  well  selected  troop  of  colonial  mares  and  year- 
lings are  sold  at  very  low  prices  to  farmers.-" 

The  Transvaal  Province  possesses  an  excellent  stud  at  Stander- 
ton,  with  19  stallions  of  high  pedigree.  With  the  exception  of  two 
or  three  all  are  Thoroughbreds.  They  are  leased  to  the  farmers 
during  the  breeding  season  who  eagei-ly  apply  for  them.  The 
manager,  however,  complains  that  there  are  still  too  many  "weedy" 
sires  about  the  country. 

Referring  to  horse-breeding  in  the  Orange  Free  State  the  Frst 
Annual  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  Colony  in 
1905  remarks  that  "Previous  to  1904  no  systematic  organization 
existed,  although  much  has  been  done  in  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  various  farm  animals  by  importation  from  England 
and  elsewhere." 

"Several  farmers  and  breeders  have  kept  private  records  and 
practised  the  introduction  of  fresh  blood  from  over  sea  from  time 
to  time,  so  that  several  really  pure-bred  strains  were  to  be  found 
although  not  in  recognized  Stock  Registers.  All  these  men  recog- 
nized that  the  Boer  Horse,  Afrikander  Cattle  and  Cape  sheep  were 
indigenous  and  of  pure  type  and  worthy  of  improvement  and  per- 
petuation. The  wonderful  ability  of  these  breeds  is  characteris- 
tically emphasized  in  the  Afrikander  ox — large,  heavy,  and  of  beau- 
tiful conformation,  rich  bay  color  (red)  maintaining  good  condition 
in  severest  droughts  and  capable  of  just  keeping  up  a  living  and 

(23)  First  Annual  Beport  of  the  Bepartment  of  Agriculture  of  the  Orange 
Biver  Colony  1904-5. 

79 


growing  in  good  seasons,     It  matures  at  5-6  years  and  will  turn  the 
scale  at  1000  lbs.  and  over. 

These  remarks  on  the  only  indigenous  greed  of  cattle  may  be 
expounded  on  at  great  length,  for  they  show  what  can  be  achieved 
by  breeding  for  a  definite  purpose  and  intelligent  selection.  The 
Afrikander  cattle  are  pure-bred  to-day  and  possess  excellent  qual- 
ities—foremost being  extraordinary  hardiness  together  with  com- 
paratively great  scale  and  weight  and  of  singular  beauty  of  sym- 
metry. 

The  methods  used  in  the  production  of  this  excellent  breed  of 
cattle  have,  however,  not  been  followed  with  the  same  fixedness  of 
purpose  in  horse-breeding.  There  were  undoubtedly  definite  aims 
in  the  methods  of  the  farmers  up  to  1870  for  until  then  their  stock 
was  of  oriental  blood  and  their  sires  either  Thoroughbreds  or  Arabs, 
but  as  we  liave  seen,  these  were  later  substituted  by  Hackneys,  Cleve- 
lands  and  even  "Holsteins  and  Cart-horse"  sires;  and  with  the 
results  of  these  we  are  already  familiar.  Thus  although  there  would 
seem  no  difficulty  to  know  whicli  sires  would  be  the  best  we  find, 
however,  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  on  this  matter.  This  may  be 
owing  to  the  desire  of  some  breeders  to  produce  a  heavier  type  for 
general  work ;  heavier  than  the  Thoroughbred  and  yet  not  as  heavy 
as  the  draft  breeds  and  still  possess  the  hardiness  and  other  good 
qualities  of  the  Cape  Horse.  This  ideal  has  not  been  realized  as 
yet  and  somehow  or  other  it  seemed  a  failure  for  most  of  the  breeders 
have  reverted  to  the  Thoroughbred  and  others  have  taken  to  breed- 
ing pure-bred  draft  horses. 

At  the  Robertson  Agricultural  Show  in  1905,  Dr.  Hutcheon 
after  remarking  on  the  great  improvement  in  the  entries  for  horses 
and  the  excellence  of  the  number  of  stallions  of  various  breeds  went 
on  to  say  that :  "  It  is  a  delicate  matter  to  give  definite  advice  to 
farmers  which  stallion  to  use.  It  is  a  generally  recognized  fact  in 
breeding  that  the  symmetry,  quality  and  general  conformation  of 
the  progeny  follow  the  sire  more  than  the  dam,  more  especially  when 
the  sire  is  a  pure-bred  (which  should  always  be)  and  the  dam  is  not. 
It  is  therefore  a  matter  of  serious  consideration  for  breeders  whether 
the  stallions  in  the  land  are  the  right  ones  for  begetting  the  class 
of  horses  they  should  aim  at.  Energy  and  enterprise  are  not  want 
ing.  Some  of  the  sires  used  cost  their  owners  high  prices.  But  it 
is  evident,  judging  by  the  great  variety  of  type  and  character  of 

80 


stallion  which  is  represented  at  our  shows  that  there  is  a  lack  of 
definiteness  in  the  minds  of  those  that  have  imported  them."-* 

Turning  to  sources  relating  to  the  question  of  selecting  a  sire 
we  find  that  the  best  authorities  are  all  agreed  that  the  right  type 
of  Thoroughbred  is  the  best  sire  for  mating  with  the  best  type  of 
Cape  mare.  There  are  others,  however,  backed  by  some  of  the  best 
breeders  who  think  differently.  Nunn  holds  that  "if  money  were 
no  object  and  the  ideal  type  of  Thoroughbred  could  be  obtained  he 
would  use  nothing  else  but  the  Thoroughbred ;  but  as  it  is  a  con- 
sideration he  would  get  an  animal  with  size,  power,  bone  and  sub- 
stance and  as  much  breeding  as  can  be  afforded,  but  would  not  sink 
all  other  considerations  on  pedigree  which  has  unfortunately  too 
often  been  done."-^ 

Rattray  in  quoting  Montgomery  Martin  in  the  Racing  Calendar 
of  1885,  remarks  that  *'as  regards  sires,  the  experience  of  the 
breeders  of  the  world  has  proved  that  nothing  beats  the  Thorough- 
bred. The  Thoroughbred  used  in  England  for  the  begetting  of 
hunters  should  be  used  for  the  begetting  of  good  remounts  from 
the  Cape  mare.  He  should  be  strong  enough  to  carry  sixteen  stone 
over  any  country  and  his  stoutness  should  have  been  proved  by  the 
usual  test  of  his  having  carried  heavy  weights  to  victory  over  a  try- 
ing course.  At  this  time — 1885 — we  possessed  several  stallions 
coming  up  to  tliis  standard,  they  were :  Buxton,  Elf  King,  Fire 
King,  Catalpa,  Harkaway.  They  were  all  Thoroughbreds  of  great 
weight,  high  pedigree  and  they  have  proved  their  good  mettle  on  the 
race  course ;  but  their  type  is  too  seldom  met  with  throughout  the 
land." 

On  the  selection  of  brood  mares  this  authority  remarks :  There 
are  thousands  of  mares  suited  for  breeding  remounts  from.  The 
average  price  is  £15 — a  price  that  will  be  trebled  at  Horucastle  or 
any  other  great  English  fair. 

Only  those  mares  of  at  least  three  infusions  of  imported  Thor- 
oughbred blood  in  their  veins  should  be  taken.  They  should  be  15 
hands  high,  possess  a  large  barrel,  strong  back,  long  and  broad 
quarters,  muscular  thighs,  large  boned  hocks,  well  set  back  shoulder, 
strong  fore  arms  and  plenty  of  bone  below  the  knee — 7i/2  inches 
girth  being  the  minimum.     Smaller  mares  should  be  mated  with 

(24)  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  No.  3,  Vol.  XXVI,  1905. 

(25)  Army  Veterinary  Department.     J.  A.  Nunn.     Ecports  on  the  Horse  Sup- 

ply of  South  Africa. 

81 


Roadsters  and  their  fillies  when  crossed  with  the  Thoroughbreds 
would  produce  the  exact  article  wanted.  Nunn  also  holds  that 
' '  there  would  not  be  the  slightest  danger  of  introducing  three  parts 
bred  sires;  for  whatever  the  bad  qualities  may  be,  the  Cape  mare 
cannot  be  said  to  be  wanting  in  breeding — on  the  contrary  there  is 
generally  too  much  of  it."  He  proceeds  to  discuss  the  various  half 
breds  which  may  do  as  a  good  first  instalment  for  second-class  mares, 
serving  their  fillies  to  the  right  type  of  Thoroughbred. 

Clevelands :  Good  upstanding  Clevelands  would  be  good  sires 
if  the  right  type  is  selected ;  bat  they  are  often  inclined  to  be  long 
in  the  barrel,  slack  ribbed-up  and  to  run  to  leg;  avoiding  such 
points  a  good  Cleveland  should  produce  fine  harness  horses  when 
mated  to  selected  Cape  m.ares.  Some  ten  years  ago  and  earlier, 
Clevelands  were  great  favorites;  but  their  reputation  seemed  to 
have  been  the  result  of  a  boom  for  they  fell  into  disfavor  as  quickly, 
only  to  come  up  again  some  time  later ;  they  seem  to  have  served 
their  time  in  South  Africa  and  as  a  first  instalment  stallion  he  is 
to-day  only  used  as  a  last  resource.  His  progeny  are  often  too  long 
in  the  leg  and  long  in  the  barrel,  and  somehow  or  other  they  will 
not  trot  over  the  same  distance  with  such  comparative  ease  as  would 
the  sons  of  other  half  bred  sires;  it  seems,  however,  that  the  mis- 
take lies  more  in  the  selection  of  both  the  sire  and  dam.  Mr.  Rob- 
ertson a  very  successful  breeder  of  thoroughbred  stock  in  Colesberg 
district  remarks  that  "Cleveland  bays  are  absolutely  useless — out 
here  they  seem  to  lose  all  character  and  being  a  long  loose  built 
animal,  his  faults  are  intensified  in  his  progen^y."-"  Another  breeder 
Mr.  Schimpers  of  the  famous  Hanglip  stud  of  over  half  a  century's 
fame  also  used  Clevelands  once  but  has  taken  to  Thoroughbreds 
once  more;  although  he  thinks  that  as  first  instalment  sires  they 
did  very  well. 

Norfolk  Trotter :  He  is  often  a  cross  with  a  cart  mare  and  the 
greatest  care  should  be  used  to  get  a  clean-limbed,  pure-bred  animal. 
He  is  cheaper  than  a  good  Thoroughbred,  or  even  a  first  class  Hack- 
ney and  if  well  chosen  he  would  do  well  as  a  first  instalment.  Hack- 
neys, Oldenburghs,  Ostfriesians  and  breeds  of  that  type  both  in 
breeding  and  size  will  probabh^  make  the  best  sires  for  grading  and 
developing  the  average  brood  mare  for  breeding  excellent  remounts 
and  carriage  horses ;  they  have  generally,  when  some  care  is  taken, 

(26)   Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XXVI. 

82 


all  the  required  bone,  substance  and  size  that  the  majority  of  Cape 
mares  lack. 

Clydesdales,  Shires,  Percherons  and  tlieir  type  of  heavy  breeds 
should  not  be  used  indiscriminately  as  a  crossing  on  light  Cape 
mares  as  has  unluckily  and  unwisely  been  done  in  the  past,  in  order 
to  improve  the  size  in  the  Cape  Horse.  It  is  breeding  with  a  ven- 
geance ;  there  should  be  at  least  some  affinity  in  sire  and  dam  and 
extreme  unions  should  be  approached  gradually. 

Once  the  choice  of  a  stallion  for  a  particular  troop  of  brood 
mares  is  decided  upon ;  the  stallion,  when  owned  by  the  breeder, 
should  receive,  besides  good  food  and  grooming  also  good  exercise ; 
he  will  beget  better  stock  and  the  possibility  of  becoming  impotent 
will  be  avoided,  which  is  a  misfortune  that  may  result  if  a  stallion 
becomes  too  fat  owing  to  a  lack  of  proper  exercise — one  of  the 
famous  Hambletonians  being  a  case  in  point. 

A  private  stud  book  used  giving  full  particulars  of  every  mare 
and  its  offspring  and  the  stallions  they  were  served  to  will  be  of 
very  great  help  and  elucidate  matters  when  breeding  for  a  partic- 
ular purpose  when  selecting  or  grading  mares  for  a  certain  sire. 

It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  most  of  these  methods  are  prac- 
tised by  some  breeders  scattered  over  the  various  Provinces;  but 
we  cannot  impress  too  much  their  general  adoption  on  every  farmer 
who  keeps  a  few  brood  mares — and  very  few  there  are  who  do  not. 

'  Once  things  are  done  with  better  method  on  a  system  that  is 
seasoned  with  experience  and  intelligent  observation  and  formers 
breed  with  a  definite  purpose  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  horse- 
breeding  can  grow  into  a  great  and  profitable  industry  and  a  source 
of  wealth  to  the  country  at  large,  even  if  we  do  not  export  a  single 
one. 

"A  prosperous  community" — and  the  average  South  African 
farmer  in  comparison  with  his  average  brother  on  the  Continent, 
Great  Britain  and  America  is  certainly  very  prosperous — "requires 
good  horses,  so  that  the  demand  for  good  horses  will  always  in- 
crease. '  '-^ 


(27)   Dr.  Hutcheon,  Chief  Veterinary  Surgeon  to  the  Cape  Government  in  Re- 
port of  Select  Committee  on  Horse  Breeding  in  the  Colony  Archives  1891. 

83 


I 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CAPE  HORSE 
(a)  CHARACTERISTICS. 

The  Cape  Horse  passes  under  many  names.  English  writers 
often  refer  to  him  as  the  Colonial,  the  South  African,  the  Cape  and 
the  Boer  horse.  German  writers  also  use  these  synonomous  terms 
and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Dutch  (Holland)  writers.  The  South 
African  farmer  really  has  no  particular  name  for  the  best  type  of 
Cape  Horse,  but  speaks  of  a  "well-bred  horse",  or  adds  the  name  of 
the  breeder  as  a  pedigree,  as  a  van  Zyl's,  Melck's,  Kotze's  or  Han- 
tam  horse.  The  cob  of  no  reliable  breeding  is  called  a  "Bossie 
Kop." 

It  would  be  best  to  adopt  the  name  Cape  Horse,  for  under  this 
name  South  African  bred  horses  have  gained  a  high  reputation  far 
beyond  our  shores.  The  light  horse  found  to-day  from  the  Cape  to 
the  Zambezi,  possesses  Thoroughbred  or  Oriental  blood  in  some 
measure  and  with  varying  type  may  easily  be  brought  under  the 
collective  name  of  Cape  Horse. 

In  1906  Mr.  C.  G.  Lee,  chairman  of  the  South  African  Stud 
Book  Association  remarks  that  "The  question  of  establishing  a 
breed  of  South  African  horses  has  had  much  consideration  by  breed- 
ers interested  in  the  South  African  Stud  Book.  The  Transvaal 
breeders  have  given  the  subject  as  much  thought  as  any  and  a 
standard  limiting  the  size  of  the  horse  they  wish  to  breed  has  been 
drawn  up.  This  standard  fixing  the  height  at  14.2  hands  was  sub- 
•mitted  to  the  Central  Committee  of  the  South  African  Stud  Book 
and  was  accepted  under  the  name  of  the  "Boer  Horse. "^ 

The  Transvaal  and  Orange  Fi-ee  State  breeders  have  many 
breeders  who  could  breed  this  type  for  its  excellent  characteristics. 

The  Cape  and  Natal  breeders  are  desirous  of  producing  a 
larger  animal  than  that  fixed  by  the  Transvaal.  Mr.  Lee  objects 
to  the  name  "Boer  Horse."  He  argues  that  since  this  horse  owed 
much  of  its  virtues  to  the  Thoroughbred  blood  in  its  veins  it  never 
was  and  never  can  be  a  "Boer  Horse". 


(1)   Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Vol.  XXVIII,  1906. 

84 


To  my  mind  no  other  name  is  more  appropriate  and  it  is  only 
for  the  sake  of  uniformity  that  I  would  suggest  the  name  Cape  Horse 
for  the  light  South  African  bred  horse.  Mr.  Lee  is  probably  labor 
ing  under  the  impression  that  "Boer  Horse"  designates  the  mongrel 
type  of  horse  in  South  Africa — this  type  is  called  the  "Kaffir 
horse, ' '  which  is,  through  careless  breeding  and  bad  keeping  a  mis- 
erable animal  and  in  spite  of  his  original  descent  from  Oriental  and 
English  blood  is  to-day  the  "misera.  plebs"  of  the  horse  tribe; 
luckily,  however,  there  are  not  too  many  of  tliem  and  have  next  to 
no  influence  on  the  horse  stock  in  general.  "- 

The  Cape  Horse  certainly  owes  much  to  the  Thoroughbred  ;  but 
as  we  know  from  previous  chapters  the  foundation  stock  rests  on 
very  pure  Oriental  strains.  The  first  colonists  under  the  Dutcli  rule 
who  took  up  farming  were  called  "Boeren"  (farmers).  They  took 
up  horse-breeding  as  early  as  1665  and  we  know  that  their  horses 
were  of  a  splendid  type  even  before  the  importation  of  Thorough- 
breds and  should  they  have  chosen  to  call  their  breed  of  horses 
"The  Boer  Horse"  nothing  would  be  more  natural  and  appropri- 
ate. Sir  Robert  Wright  on  South  African  live  stock  remarks:  "the 
'Boer  Horse'  and  'Basuto  Pony'  are  native  types  and  13.2-14 
hands  high,  stout  in  build  and  rounded  in  frame.  The  predomi- 
nant colour  is  bay  or  brown.  They  are  very  hardy,  possess  much 
'staying  power'  and  capable  of  doing  much  saddle  work  and  light 
cart  work  on  coarse  fodder  and  in  comparison  with  their  size  carry 
heavy  weights. '  '^ 

Mr.  Lee  covered  up  his  sweeping  statement  by  saj'ing  that  "the 
whole  question  of  registration  of  horses  is  so  beset  with  difficulties 
that  it  might  be  left  alone  until  the  Stud  Book  is  in  a  stronger  po- 
sition and  those  responsible  for  it  had  a  little  more  experience." 

A  systematic  and  scientific  discussion  of  the  characteristics 
of  the  Cape  Horse  is  well  nigh  impossible.  Up  to  the  present  the 
breed  has  not  been  thoroughly  established  and  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  private  registers  no  reliable  records  exist. 

Accounts  of  the  Cape  Horse  since  1652  are  frequently  inter- 
spersed with  every  variety  of  description  in  a  very  casual  way. 

The  old  Archives  and  Records  of  the  Cape  of  those  days  make 
frequent  mention  of  "beautiful  stallions"  and  useful  "little  ani- 


(2)  Graf  C.  G.  von  Wrangel  "Die  Bassen  des  Pferdes"  1908- 

(3)  Frof.  B.  PatricTc  Wright  "The  Standard  Cyclopedia  of  Modern  Agriculture 

and  Rural  Economy  1911. 

85' 


mals. ' '  They  were  of  Oriental  strains  and  these  horses  were  never 
over  14.2  han<is  high ;  even  the  illustrous  founders  of  the  Thorough- 
bred stock  were  not  over  14  hands,  although  some  credit  them  with 
15  and  more.*  Thus  for  the  first  century  and  a  half  the  Cape 
Horse  certainly  was  not  higher  than  14.2  hands  high  and  possessed 
as  has  been  proved  before  the  characteristics  of  his  Oriental  an- 
cestors in  a  very  high  degree. 

As  early  as  1796  horses  were  exported  to  India  and  were  tlie 
first  horses  to  carry  British  cavalry  to  success  in  that  country. 
These  importations  were  continued  and  from  various  accounts  we 
find  that  he  was  not  a  beauty,  and  his  good  qualities  were  discred- 
ited on  this  score.  In  1838  Major  Havelock's  Cape  horses  were 
condemned  as  unfit  and  undersized  yet  their  staying  power  and 
general  "good  doing"  under  all  trying  conditions  of  the  most  try- 
ing campaigns  in  foreign  lands — the  sun-scorched  plains  of  India 
and  the  Crimean  snows — they  maintained  their  good  character,  was 
unsurpassed  as  a  remount  and  gained  that  excellent  reputation 
based  on  the  principle  of  the  old  adage  "handsome  is  as  handsome 
does." 

The  first  expert  description  of  the  Cape  Horse  is  given  by  Lt. 
Col.  Richardson  in  1845.  The  average  remount  was  described  as  a 
compact,  well-knit,  well-loined  and  shortlegged  animal.  Bay  was  the 
prevalent  color  and  the  average  height  was  14.3  36/133  hands.  He 
was  quiet,  steady  and  good  tempered  in  the  ranks,  sound  in  consti- 
tution and  by  no  means  predisposed  to  disease  of  any  kind.  The 
average  sick  was  infinitely  smaller  than  in  a  like  number  in  Eng- 
land."^ 

During  the  Indian  Mutiny,  1854,  England  got  all  her  liorses 
from  South  Africa  and  these  are  still  spoken  of  by  cavalry  officers 
as  "the  finest  lot  of  liorses  ever  imported  into  India.  They  stood 
the  climate  much  better  than  any  other  (Australian  and  Arabs)  ; 
they  were  hardier,  worked  to  a  more  advanced  age  and  were  un- 
surpassed as  cavalry  horses."*^ 

Another  expert  report  several  years  later  and  since  a  general 
deterioration  has  set  in,  is  much  less  favorable.     Veterinary  Sur- 

(4)  Sir  Walter  Gilbey  "Small  Horses  in  Warfare"  1908. 

(5)  Papers  relating  to  the  purchase  of  Remounts  at  the  Cape,  etc.,  Bluebook 

1845,  etc.. 

(6)  Report  on  the  Horse  Supply  of  South  Africa..  .J.  A.  Nunn,  Vet.  Surgeon  to 

Deputy  Adjudant  General  Capetwon  1888. 

86 


geon  Nunn  describes  the  average  amount  then  supplied  as :  "  A  small 
animal,  stunted  in  growth  and  generally  about  14.2-14.3  hands 
high,  only  few  being  much  taller ;  deficient  in  bone,  few  if  any 
measuring  1%  inches  below  the  knee  ;  pinned  in  at  the  elbows  ;  good 
shoulders  and  forehand ;  narrow  chest  very  badly  coupled  and 
ribbed  up ;  vv^ith  bad  drooping  quarters ;  badly  developed  muscles 
of  the  croup  and  thighs.  In  fact  to  sum  up  the  whole  matter:  the 
South  African  remount  is,  although  small,  good  before  and  bad  be- 
hind the  saddle."'  In  the  British  Remount  Report  after  the  war* 
already  made  use  of  we  find  that  although  few  good  horses  were 
then  found  yet  they  were  the  ' '  best ' '  and  ' '  unsurpassed. ' ' 

Count  C.  G.  Wrangel  in  his  work  "Die  Rassen  des  Pferdes" 
published  1908  gives  the  following  description  of  the  Cape  Horse: 
' '  The  head  is  rather  large  but  not  clumsy ;  a  fine  slender  neck ; 
strong  back  and  a  strong,  somewhat  drooping  croup ;  long  and  well 
placed  shoulders  with  long  forearm  and  short  canons ;  of  quiet 
temperament  and  extraordinary  hardiness.  He  is  an  excellent  light 
cavalry  horse  but  not  much  good  as  a  carriage  horse.  The  height 
at  the  withers  is  156-158  cm.  (15.2-16  hands).  Quaddekker,  the 
Dutch  authority  on  the  horse  endorses  these  remarks  and  gives  the 
Orange  Free  State  Transvaal  horses  2-4  extra  centimeters.''  These 
heights  as  we  know  are  exceptional  and  cannot  be  taken  as  the  gen- 
eral height  of  the  Cape  Horse. 

More  recently  thousands  of  horses  were  exported  to  the  neigh- 
boring German  and  Portuguese  Colonies,  Germany  alone  buying 
over  9000  animals.  The  German  account  of  these  animals  is  not 
at  all  flattering.  An  eminent  farmer  in  an  excellent  book  on 
"Farming  in  German  South  West  Africa"  writes  the  following: 
"They  show  characteristics  which  according  to  home  ideas  would 
be  condemned  as  bad  faults.  Drooping  hind  quarters,  sheep-necked 
and  cow-hocked,  and  a  too  straight  shoulder  are  frequent  mistakes ; 
but  these  are  more  often  merely  beauty  faults  brought  about  by 
adaptation  to  veld  conditions.  On  the  other  hand,  they  possess 
many  good  qualities  that  amply  make  up  for  minor  mistakes.  The 
'Afrikaner'  horse  is  certainly  an  ideal  type  to  breed  from  as  foun- 
dation stock  and  should  not  be  judged  on  his  outward  appearance  but 
rather  on  his  inherent  qualities.     Since  we  want  useful  and  not 

(7)  Report  on  the  Horse  Supply  of  South  Africa..  .J.  A.  Nunn,  Vet.  Surgeon 

to  Deputy  Adjudant  General  Capetown  1888. 

(8)  K.  C.  L.  Quaddel-Jcer  "Eet  Paarden  Boeh"  Amsterdam  1912. 

87 


showy  horses  we  cannot  nse  better  material."  This  criticism  is 
quite  true  in  part,  but  a  great  deal  of  it  as  effecting  the  general 
stock  at  that  time  can  be  explained  away.  The  Natal  Agricultural 
Journal  (1906)  remarks  that:  "those  buj'ing  for  these  colonies  did 
not  want  a  high  class  animal,  but  the  effect  of  their  purchases  on 
the  market  was  to  send  up  the  value  of  the  higher  class  animals. ' ' 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  farmers  in  South  Africa  got  rid 
of  a  large  amount  of  the  inferior  stock  imported  from  the  Argen- 
tine and  aimed  at  getting  a  better  foundation  and  this  explains  why 
the  price  of  the  higher  class  of  animals  rose  at  once. 

It  has  been  remarked  before  that  the  Cape  Horse  possesses  in 
a  full  measure  some  of  the  highest  qualities  of  his  Oriental  ancestors 
and  Thoroughbred  sires.  A  few  individual  cases  taken  at  random 
may  suffice  to  emphasize  this. 

Referring  to  Veterinary  Nunn's  account  and  looking  on  the 
bright  side  of  things  he  writes  :  ' '  Of  the  strength  and  endurance  of 
the  South  African  horses  there  is  no  question.  They  being  capable 
of  performing  immensely  long  journeys  over  very  hard  roads,  in 
hot  weather  and  on  nothing  but  v/hat  they  can  pick  up  ond  the  veldt 
or  a  little  oat  hay  forage.  They  are  wonderfully  good  tempered  and 
quiet.  They  are  as  a  rule  very  sound,  splints  are  the  most  common 
form  of  lameness  when  it  appears.  Spavins  and  ringbones  being 
comparatively  rare.  The  hoofs  are  remarkably  sound,  and  a  good 
many  persons  working  tlieJr  horses  for  long  distances  over  rough 
country  without  shoes. ' '° 

Mr.  R.  Bromley  speaking  of  thirty  years  experience  pays  a  fit- 
ting tribute  to  the  Cape  Horse  and  his  splendid  qualities  of  general 
efficiency:  "I  never  had  a  lame  horse,  except  for  accident,  nor 
a  spavined  leg  or  lame  shoulder,  and  I  kept  from  two  to  five  horses 
for  over  thirty  years  and  travelled  at  one  time  eight  months  in  the 
year  at  an  average  pace  of  six  miles  an  hour  and  forty  miles  per 
day  when  travelling  and  never  stayed  on  the  road  once  on  account 
of  a  sick  horse.  One  bay  entire — a  cross-breed  Arab — I  worked  for 
fourteen  years  on  long  journeys  and  sold  him  for  £5  more  than  I 
paid  for  him  (for  an  easy  job).  He  is  now  twenty-five  years  old 
and  still  fit  and  well  and  won  two  competitions  at  the  Rose  Bank 
Show  this  year  (1906).     For  long  distance  travelling,  a  nice  quiet 

(9)   J.  A.  Nunn,  Vet  Surgeon  1st  class.     Eeport  on  the  Horse  Supply  in  South 
Africa,  Feb.  1888. 


mount  to  shoot  off  or  a  good  ride  for  a  lady,  where  can  you  equal  the 
old  Cape  Horse  ?"i° 

The  gait  of  the  Cape  Horse  under  the  saddle  has  been  influ- 
enced much  by  the  nature  of  his  duties.  "In  order  to  hold  a  rifle 
comfortably  or  even  ranch  up  cattle  at  not  too  hard  a  pace  all  the 
horses  are  taught  to  amble  or  "tripple"  as  the  pace  is  called  in 
Dutch. "^^  Captain  Hayes  is  not  quite  correct  here,  a  good  "trip- 
pier"  is  very  rare,  the  most  common  pace  is  called  "pass"  which  is 
a  fast  shuffling  walk,  which  is  as  often  called  "strijkstap."  The 
canter  with  several  variations  is  the  next  common  gait.  The  "three 
beat"  canter  can  be  kept  up  for  hours.  To  quote  Dr.  Wegner: 
"men  and  women  are  continually  seen  riding  their  horses—Boer 
ponies  or  Thoroughbreds  at  a  'three  beat'  canter  (Dreischlag)."^- 

Horses  are  very  seldom  trotted  under  the  saddle,  in  fact  it  is 
looked  upon  as  an  unnatural  gait  in  riding  horses.  The  canter 
varied  with  the  shuffling  walk  is  the  usual  gait  and  with  an  average 
good  horse  forty  miles  per  day  can  be  covered  with  ease  on  indiffer- 
ent feed  and  be  kept  up  for  months  without  being  knocked  up. 
This  is  the  testimony  of  every  horseman  who  has  used  a  Cape  Horse 
either  at  home  or  in  those  parts  of  the  world  where  he  was  imported 
as  a  remount  or  pleasure  and  sport  mount. 

(b)  RACING  CAPABILITIES. 

The  Cape  Horse  being  a  light  type  of  horse  lent  itself  to  the 
royal  sport  of  racing  very  readily. 

Racing-  might  have  been  indulged  in  by  the  great  horse-breeder 
before  the  19th  Century  but  we  have  no  reliable  records  of  it.  This 
sport  came  with  the  second  and  more  general  importation  of  Thor 
oughbreds  in  1811  and  afterwards.  Since  then,  the  sport  has  lived 
through  various  vicissitudes — falling  into  disgrace  through  one 
decade  it  comes'forward  once  more  as  that  sport  and  test  of  quality 
which  places  its  principles  so  much  higher  than  any  other  based 
upon  individual  opinion  of  one  or  more  judges.  There  the  win- 
ning post  with  blind  absolute  justice  is  the  judge  and  its  decree  is 
irrefutable;    neither  fashion  nor  fancy,  neither  favor  nor  hatred, 

(10)  Agricultural  Journal  of  Cape  of  Good  Hope  Vol.  XXVIII  26. 

(11)  Captain  M.  H.  Hayes  F.  E.  C.  V.  S.     " Amoni/  Horses  in  South  Africa." 

1900. 

(12)  Dr.  0.  Wegner  " Zur  Kenntniss  der  Siidafrikanische  Landwirtschaft  1906. 

89 


neither  prejudice  nor  deceit  have  biassed  its  decision  in  hotly  con- 
tested struggles  as  recorded  in  the  Racing  Calendar  for  over  twc 
centuries. 

It  is  this  sport  that  has  given  the  English  Thoroughbred  a  value 
for  breeding  purposes  unequalled  and  looked  for  in  vain  in  any 
other  eciuine  species  in  the  world.^^ 

Referring  to  the  earliest  records  of  racing  in  South  Africa  we 
find  that  tiie  South  Afrieaji  Turf  Club  was  founded  in  1818  and 
that  a  Merchant's  Plate  of  500  rixdollars  was  the  highest  stakes  on 
the  race-list.  This  later  on  fell  into  abeyance  and  was  re-established 
into  a  Challenge  Cup  of  A-arying  value.  A  Merchant's  Cup  was  es- 
tablished later  and  after  changing  hands  for  twenty-five  years  it 
was  decided  in  1860  that  the  winner  should  stick  it  together  with 
surplus  subscriptions.^* 

Turning  to  the  Annals  of  the  South  African  Turf  Club  we  find 
singularly  enough  that  Lord  Charles  Somerset,  Governor  of  Cape 
Colony  engaged  in  four  private  matches  of  1000  dollars  each,  every 
one  of  which  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose, 

"The  Cape  Turf",  says  an  eminent  contemporary  racing  au- 
thority of  those  days  in  the  Cape  Monthly,  "never  flourished  per- 
haps more  vigorously  than  when  Farmer  John,  John  Raw,  Jester, 
Don  Juan,  Legislator,  Scud,  Red  Rover,  etc. — imported  and  home- 
bred Thoroughbreds — were  tracking  each  other  about  from  1832-5. 
The  timing  of  these  days  lias  never  been  equalled  since,  which  may 
be  attributed  to  so  many  first  class  horses  coming  out  together  and 
making  the  pace  terrific  from  start  to  finish.  This  does  not  say 
that  racers  of  equal  capacity  have  not  since  been  bred  at  the  Cape. 
On  the  contrary,  many  might  be  named  that  have  shown  extraord- 
inary merits;  but  as  they  never  met  antagonists  of  corresponding 
calibre,  their  speed  and  endurance  could  never  be  satisfactorily  as 
certained. 

At  the  Autumn,  1835  Race  Meeting  of  the  Club,  Don  Juan 
and  Farmer  John  ran  3  heats  of  li/o  miles  each  in  2.54%,  2.54  and 
2.55  minutes.  Turning  up  the  English  Derby  race  records  we  find 
the  time  for  the  same  distance  since  1900-11  varying  from  2,45  4/5- 
2.35  1/5. 

Several  of  the  Cape  Horses  exported  to  India  gained  great 

(13)  Compare   Count   George  Lehndorf  " Horsebreeding  Recollections"   1898 

Berlin. 

(14)  Cape  Monthly  1819,  Vol.  IX. 

90 


reputation  on  the  Race  Course.  Mention  has  already  been  made  of 
Battledore  and  Sir  Benjamin  "carrying  everything  before  them." 
' '  The  best  Cape  Horse  seen  in  India  was  Tumbler,  carrying  11 
stone,  he  beat  Francisca  the  fast  racer  on  the  Calcutta  Course  car- 
rying 10  stone  with  great  ease  on  a  I/2  mile  course  in  32  seconds. 
This  was  astonishing  considering  the  weight  on  a  little  horse  of  14.3 
hands.  "^^  With  the  general  decline  of  the  horse  stock  after  1860 
the  Turf  suffered  badly,  and  tlie  Club  annals  ascribe  the  decline  to 
the  "suicidal  mania"  that  infected  many  breeders  to  breed  from 
Holstein  and  Cart-horse  sires." 

In  1882  matters  have  bettered  themselves  and  the  Jockey 
Club  of  South  Africa  was  established  at  Port  Elizabeth  and  was  re- 
moved to  Johannesburg  in  1904.  It  has  local  branches  in  all  the 
princilal  cities  of  the  provinces.  Numerous  valuable  stakes  are 
offered ;  Durban,  Johannesburg  and  Cape  Town  all  offer  handicap 
purses  of  £1000  each.^''  In  1884  the  Derby  value  at  Port  Elizabeth 
was  £400  for  South  African  bred  three-year-olds.  A  contempo- 
rary authority  remarks:  "Many  a  colt  competing  for  this  will  com- 
pare favourably  with  the  best  horses  in  England.  In  1884  another 
Derby  worth  £750  (the  most  valuable  ever  offered  up  to  then)  was 
established  at  Kimberley."^'  ''"^'  ^\ 

Some  records  of  the  March,  1914  meeting  of  the  South  African 
Club  at  Kenilworth,  Capetown  in  connection  with  the  Rosebank 
Show  give  the  time  as  follow^s: 

7  Furlongs  1.32  2/  II  for  3  year  olds. 

1^/4  miles  2.11  M  for  Lower  weights. 

1  mile  1.3  1/5  M  for  Higher  weights. 

7  Furlongs  1.32  M  for  Lower  weights. 

9  Furlongs  1.33  1/5  M  Pony  and  Galloway  Handicap. 

5  Furlongs  1.3  4/5  M  for  Middle  weight  Handicap. 

5  Furlongs  1.3  2/5  M  for  Higher  weight  Handicap.  ^^ 
These  races  give  a  general  idea  of  racing  matters  and  the  timt 
is  by  no  means  the  best  for  although  the  various  heats  were  well 
represented  still  the  highest  purse  was  only  £150  and  the  best  run- 
ners were  not  entered.     The  American  time  for  the  years  1900-11 


(15)  Eastern  Racing  Calendar.     Eeprint  in  Cape  Monthly  Vol.  IX. 

(16)  The  Farmer's  Weekly,  Oct,  1913. 

(17  and  18)  Grey  Eattray  in  Eaeing  Callendar  1885  and  British  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science  (The  Transvaal,  1905). 

(19)  S.  A.  Turf  Cluh.  Weeliy  Cape  Times  and  Farmer's  Eecord.  March  6, 
1914. 

91 


over  a  II/4  niilss  course  is  given  as  varying  from  2.03  to  2.10  2/5 
and  the  time  of  an  ordinary  meeting  as  the  above  mentioned  one  with 
a  time  record  of  2.11  for  li/4  miles  compares  very  favorably  indeed.-" 

South  African  Race  Horse  owners  have  off  and  on  sent  some  of 
their  winners  to  England  and  in  1906  Campfire  II,  bred  by  Sena- 
tor Charles  Southey  and  ow^ied  by  Sir  Abe  Bailey,  won  the  Derby 
and  other  important  matches  and  now  stands  at  Stud  in  England  at 
a  high  fee  and  his  progeny  is  constant  among  winners. 

"The  'great  game"  in  order  to  flourish  requires  to  be  managed 
by  men  who  are  independent  of  it  either  for  their  recreation  or 
w^hose  prolity  and  love  of  fair  play  are  above  suspicion."  Racing 
in  South  Africa  has  tine  future  though  a  somewhat  ignoble  past. '  '-^ 

Captain  Hayes'  conditions  are  more  than  fulfilled.  Since  1900 
more  and  more  of  the  wealthy  mine  owners  took  to  horse-breeding 
and  the  South  African  Turf  Club  is  at  present  in  a  most  flourishing 
condition. 

The  last  part  of  his  remark  refers  to  the  days  when  the  "sweep- 
ings of  Tattersall's  stables"  found  their  way  to  the  Cape  and  almost 
everyone  wanted  to  own  a  race  horse.  Even  earlier,  although  the 
race  course  was  patronized  by  the  great  breeders  by  entering  their 
horses,  very  few,  however,  graced  it  with  their  presence.  In  1882 
we  find  that  "an  extraordinary  custom  prevails  here  of  an  owner 
entering  his  horses  in  an  assumed  name  as  if  it  is  a  disgrace  to  a 
gentleman  to  be  the  acknowledged  proprietor  of  a  race  horse.  "^^ 
At  this  period  and  very  largely  to-day  the  best  horse-breeders  were 
of  Dutch  extraction  and  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  being  very 
orthodox  regarded  racing  as  a  "game  of  chance"  and  therefore,  con- 
trary to  the  church 's  laws. 

The  absence  of  the  majority  of  the  best  breeders  naturally  les- 
sened the  spirit  of  fair  play  and  the  strict  observance  of  the  rules 
of  the  course ;  betting  and  its  attendant  evils,  unjust  handicapping 
and  other  underhand  dealings  gave  racing  a  bad  repute.  To-day 
adequate  laws  govern  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  race  course  and 
gentlemen  breeders  and  horsemen  are  at  the  head  of  affairs.  There 
are  purses  for  various  types  of  runners  and  the  turf  is  undoubtedly 
still  a  very  high  test  of  the  ability  and  stamina  of  the  individuals 
bred  and  entered  by  the  different  breeders. 

(20)  M.  W.  Harper.     Management  and  Breeding  of  Horses  1913. 

(21)  Captain  M.  W.  Hayes  "Among  Horses  in  South  Africa  1900. 

(22)  William  Wilberforce  "State  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  18SS."     Lon- 

don 1823. 

92 


(c)    DISEASE. 

Althondi  South  Africa  is  looked  upon  by  many  as  the  incubator 
of  all  kinds  of  animal  pests,  still  she  is  one  of  the  healthiest  pastoral 
countries  of  the  world.  She  imported  almost  all  her  stock  diseases 
and  their  prolificacy  is  due  to  the  scientific  fact  that  the  diseases  that 
are  dormant  and  comparatively  harmless  in  one  country  may  be- 
come an  epidemic  pest  in  the  other. 

The  Cape  Horse  as  learned  from  previous  pages  is  a  very  healthy 
and  sound  animal.     The  testimony  of  the  highest  veterinary  author 
ities  at  home  and  of  the  British  Army  as  already  stated  are  all 
agreed  that  bodily  the  average  Cape  Horse  is  one  of  the  soundest 
types  and  that  he  is  fit  for  service  to  a  great  age.-^- 

In  a  land  of  "eternal  sunshine"  he  spends  almost  all  his  life 
in  the  open.  With  little  variations  the  climate  is  temperate  and 
the  air  extremely  dry.  With  the  exception  of  a  narrow  costal  strip 
all  the  rest  of  South  Africa  consists  of  high  plateaus  with  a  mean 
summer  temperature  of  62 "^  or  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Reviera 
which  is  61°.  The  nights  are  always  cool  and  refreshes  again  what 
has  been  exhausted  during  the  day  and  the  continuous  heat  of  Bom- 
bay, Madras  and  even  New  York  which  is  so  exhaustive  is  unknown 
in  South  Africa."* 

Several  infectious  diseases  as  Glanders,  Mange  and  Equine 
Plroplasmosis  (Biliary  Fever)  and  several  lesser  ones  have  been 
imported,  ignorantly  and  unwillingly  of  course,  toward  the  end  of 
the  last  century,  but  have  never  caused  great  loss  or  serious  trouble. 
The  most  dreaded  disease  is  Horse-sickness.  It  made  its  first  ap- 
pearance in  1719,  sixty-seven  years  after  the  first  horse  was  im- 
ported. Why  it  has  been  in  abeyance  so  long  puzzled  many  scien- 
tific investigators  since  the  indigenous  species  of  the  genus  Equus 
liarboured  the  disease,  but  Avas  immune  to  its  attacks.-'  This  is, 
however,  easily  explained  by  the  fact  that  1719  was  the  date  the  pas- 
toral boundaries  first  extended  into  the  disease  infested  area — the 
region  all  below  the  mountain  ranges  is  still  free  from  horse-sickness, 
or  to  be  more  correct  all  that  region  that  has  winter  and  late  autumn 
rains.     The  disease  generally  makes  its  appearance  after  the  heavy 

(23)  See  Veterinary  Reports  in  Papers  delating  to  Purchase  of  Horses  for 

Service  in  India.     Bluebools  Capetown  1845-1888,  etc. 

(24)  Sir  James  Bryce  "Impressions  of  South  Africa."     1898- 

(25)  Cf.  Science  in  South  Africa.     Br.   W.  Flint  and  Br.  J.  0.  F.  Gilchrist 

1905.  ; 

93 


summer  rains,  followed  by  heat  and  nnnsual  heavy  dews.  For  a 
long  time  the  dews  and  mists  M^ere  looked  upon  as  having  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  disease  and  horses  were  kept  on  high  plateaus  dur- 
ing those  months.  After  the  first  frosts  have  fallen  the  danger  is 
past.^® 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  last  century  it  was  pointed  out  by 
experts  that  the  disease  was  closely  related  to  Anthrax ;  but  Dr. 
Edington  has  the  honor  of  pointing  out  that  it  is  a  disease  sui 
generis  and  that  it  can  be  transmitted  to  horses  by  subcutaneous 
inoculation  with  the  blood  of  an  animal  that  died  of  the  disease. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  last  century  Lt.  Col.  Walkins-Pitchford 
definitely  proved  the  theory  that  the  disease  was  caused  by  the  bites 
of  nocturnal  insects ;  and  also  succeeded  by  tracing  the  insect  to 
be  the  Anopholes  Mosquito. 

In  1903  the  Chief  of  the  Veterinary  Department,  Dr.  now  Sir. 
Arnold  Theiler  first  succeeded  in  getting  a  preventive  inoculation 
whereby  mules  can  be  rendered  immune  against  an  attack  of  Horse- 
sickness.  This  method  was  first  introduced  in  the  Transvaal  in  1911 
and  no  breeder  was  allowed  to  have  more  than  two  horses  inoculated. 

Out  of  445  horses  inoculated  during  that  time  46  died  or 
10.3%.  This  result  fully  justified  a  continuation  of  the  method  and 
the  next  season  the  death  rate  was  11.1%  in  a  very  severe  season 
when  even  "salted''*  horses  died."^ 

The  immunization  of  mules  is  now  in  its  eighth  year.  During 
1913  out  of  some  1522  mules  that  were  inoculated  only  42  or 
2.8  percent  died.  Up  to  the  present  time  22,000  have  been  treated 
with  an  average  mortality  of  about  3%.  With  horses  the  method 
has  not  been  quite  so  successful ;  but  it  has  decreased  the  mortality 
immensely.  ^^ 

As  soon  as  this  monster  disease  is  held  in  check  or  totally 
stamped  out,  the  future  of  horse-breeding  will  be  brighter  than  ever 
for  with  a  very  adequately  equipped  veterinary  department  all 
other  diseases  are  kept  within  reasonable  limits. 


(26)  Same  as  25  and  Becords  of  Cape  Colony  No.  389. 

(27)  Dr.  C.  Edington  "South  African  Horse-Sickness"  XIII,  1900-     The  Jour- 

nal of  Comparative  Pathology  and  Therapeutics. 
(*)   A   "Salted"  Horse  is  one  that  has  recovered  from  an  attack  of  Horse- 
Siclcness  and  was  supposed  to  be  immune  to  future  attacks. 

(28)  Dr.   A.    Theiler   " Beport   of   the   Transvaal  Department   of   Agriculture 

1903-4. 

(29)  Agricultural  Journal  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa  1913,  Vol.  VI. 

94 


(d)    DISTRIBUTION. 

From  the  previous  chapters  it  would  be  learned  that  the  Cape 
Horse  found  his  entrance  into  very  distant  parts  of  the  world ;  but 
these  importations  would  not  strictly  fall  under  the  head  of  distri- 
bution as  we  hereby  generally  understaiid  the  use  of  any  breed  of 
animals  for  breeding  purposes.  And  yet  it  is  quite  probable  that 
some  of  the  imported  remounts  were  also  used  at  Studs. 

In  roughly  reviev/ing  the  several  exports  of  horses  from  South 
Africa  we  find  that  the  first  exportation  dates  back  to  1769,  when  a 
shipment  left  for  Madras.  Since  then  at  various  tim.es  thousands 
of  horses  went  to  India  up  to  the  middle  of  last  century,''" 

In  1810,  Australia  imported  her  first  horses  from  South  Africa 
and  repeated  the  undertaking  in  1825  with  better  selected  animals.-'^ 
A  civil  servant  of  high  standing  writes  in  1821  that  "many  of  the 
best  bred  horses  had  been  sent  to  Mauritius  and  India  in  1821  und 
the  sport  (Racing)  slackened;  but  the  increase  of  young  horses 
bred  from  English  horses  caused  a  greater  iuterest." 

"The  export  of  horses  to  Mauritius  (and  probably  other  eastern 
countries)  in  1821  amounted  to  300,000  Rixdollars  and  that  which 
appeared  to  have  been  undertaken  for  the  gratification  of  hunting 
or  racing  has  become  a  sul)stantial  source  of  profit  to  the  breeders, 
the  farmer  and  the  shipper. '  '^-  To  quote  another  authority  on  this 
lucrative  exportation  to  the  East : 

"During  this  period  the  Cape  Horse  was  sufficiently  attractive 
to  provoke  the  admiration  of  the  lordl}^  but  debilitated  Indian  Na- 
bobs, who  at  this  period  flocked  in  large  numbers  to  the  Cape,  then 
highly  esteemed  as  a  health  resort,  and  many  horses  were  taken  to 
India  as  hacks  or  chargers  by  the  recuperated  health-seekers.  For 
these  the  Nabobs,  who  were  always  lavish  in  dispensing  the  golden 
raohurs  paid  very  high  prices  and  they  being  the  best  of  their  class 
and  able  to  stand  the  Indian  climate  much  better  than  the  English 
Thoroughbred  horse,  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indian 
authorities  to  the  advantages  of  the  Cape  as  a  field  for  procuring 
mounts  from  and  in  1835  a  small  trade  was  opened  up  which  bade 
fair  promise  of  yearly  increasing  in  magnitude. '  '^'^ 

(30)  Geo.  McCall  Theal  "Hisfory  of  South  Africa." 

Grey  Eaitrny.     Reprint  in  Agriculture  of  Cape  of  Good  Hope  1904. 

(31)  Records  of  the  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XXVI. 

(32)  William  Wilherforce  "A  State  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1822." 

(33)  JReprint  from  '^Racing  Calendar"  of  1885  in  Agriculture  Journal  of  the 

Cape  of  Good  Hope  Vol.  XXXIII. 

95 


The  great  Trek  of  1836-38  and  the  subsequent  establishing  of 
the  old  republics  extended  the  distribution  of  the  Cape  Horse  over 
these  provinces  and  for  over  thirty  years  the  breed  of  horses  were 
cut  off  from  fresh  blood ;  yet  the  selection  must  have  been  of  a  high 
standard  for  the  Orange  Free  State  type  of  horse  was  an  all  round 
better  animal  on  the  average  than  the  one  bred  in  the  Colony.  Many 
of  the  Thoroughbred  stallions  imported  from  England  found  their 
way  here  and  Cape  Colony  farmers  were  even  restricted  selling  them 
to  the  farmers  of  the  neighboring  states.^* 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  province  of  Natal.  The  first  Thor- 
oughbred imported  there  was  Mortimer  by  Fitz  Allen,  the  sire  of 
good  breeding  stock  and  forerunner  of  many  excellent  imported 
horses. 

The  neighboring  German  and  Portuguese  Colonies  use  the  Cape 
Horse  as  foundation  stock  by  preference,^^  being  selected  after  al- 
most every  other  European  and  South  American  breeds  were  given 
a  fair  trial. 

All  Southern  Africa  including  the  Protectorates  and  lands  out 
side  the  Union  and  British  East  Africa,  excepting  perhaps  the  Tsetse 
fly  stricken  area  may  be  taken  as  the  home  of  the  Cape  Horse  in 
varying  type  for  the  ground  stock  is  always  the  same. 

With  the  opening  up  of  the  rich  interior  of  Central  Africa  and 
the  advancement  of  Veterinary  Science,  the  Cape  Horse  has  a 
great  future  ,  for  of  all  breeds  he  is  undoubtedly  the  hardiest  and 
healthiest,  and  if  he  is  better  than  the  Thoroughbred  and  Gulf 
Arab  in  the  trying  Indian  climate  he  is  the  only  horse  that  has  a 
chance  in  the  future  development  of  the  twilight  continent  of  \friea 
and  a  chance  to  win  laurels  of  fame  as  high  as  those  of  the  illustrous 
ancient  stock  from  which  he  springs — the  Libyan  of  North  Africa. 


(34)  Memorandum.     Blue  Boole  1858. 

(35)  Br.   0.    Wegner    "  Zur   Kenntniss    der    Sudafrikanische   Landwirtschaft 
1906." 

96 


CHAPTER  IV. 

(a)  VARIOUS  TYPES  OF  CAPE  HORSE. 

South  African  horse-breeding  extends  over  two  and  a  half  cen- 
turies. Its  history  of  development  is  intimately  bound  with  that  of 
the  country.  Botli  have  passed  through  many  vicissitudes.  Both 
were  subjected  to  outside  influences,  both  harmful  and  beneficial. 

Running  through  the  chapter  on  its  origin  and  developbent  we 
see  that  several  strains  of  blood  min.gic  in  the  veins  of  the  Cape 
Ilofse. 

These  strains  up  to  the  last  decade  of  last  century  were  with 
negligible  exceptions  of  Oriental  and  Thoroughbred  blood;  but  cer- 
tainly varied  among  themselves.  It  is  difficidt  to  write  with  some 
authority  on  this  most  interesting  phase  of  the  Cape  Horse  when 
there  is  absolutely  no  reliable  information  to  be  obtained  from 
stock  registers  or  private  stud  books,  altiiough  some  of  the  latter  ex- 
ist with  the  great  breeders  scattered  all  over  the  land.  The  first 
South  African  Stud  Book  for  the  various  breeds  of  farm  animals 
was  only  published  in  1907  and  is  as  yet  in  its  infancy  and  very 
elementary  as  far  as  the  registration  of  the  Cape  Horse  is  con- 
cerned. 

It  is  clear  that  a  country  cannot  do  with  just  one  breed  of 
horses.  Only  to  a  limited  extent  can  one  cxpe(^t  the  same  breed  to 
suppl}^  carriage,  riding  and  racing  horses;  but  this  seems  to  have 
been  the  general  trend  of  mind — bre^diiig  for  a  "general  purpose." 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  one  stallion  and  his  progeny  have 
frequently  been  mainly  responsible  in  the  establishing  of  a  new 
breed.  This  is  true  in  the  case  of  the  Hackney,  the  Standardbred 
Horse,  the  American  Saddle  Horse  and  even  the  Thoroughbred  with 
the  illustrous  Trio,  and  many  others.  These  founders  of  course 
were  pure-bred  and  the  foundation  stock  of  comparative  good  gual- 
ity,  and  by  further  selection  with  a  definite  aim  the  breed  was  intro- 
duced ;   often  within  half  a  century. 

The  American  Saddle  Horse  is  a  triumph  of  breeding  for  a 
definite  purpose  and  the  breed  was  established  in  a  comparatively 
short  time  although  the  foundation  stock  was  of  longer  standing.^*^ 
(36)   M.  W.  Harper.     Management  and  Breeding  of  Horses  1913. 

97 


/" 


The  onl}^  distinct  type  of  Cape  Horse  that  was  produced  were 
the  famous  "Capo  Greys"  bred  by  Mr.  Melck,  they  being  the  pro- 
geny of  the  Spanish  stallions  captured  in  1807.  They  seem  to  have 
been  heavier  than  the  average  Cape  Horse  of  the  time  and  more 
adapted  for  driving  than  riding.^^  Melck 's  stud  had  a  great  name 
and  many  of  his  stud's  representatives  were  found  all  through  the 
land.  The  type  has  never  been  established  as  a  breed  ;  but  the  great 
dapple-greys  still  met  with  here  and  there  are  certainly  still  de- 
scendents  of  these  Spanish  stallions. 

Frequent  mention  has  been  made  of  the  van  Zijls',  Oosthuizen's 
and  Hantamer  horses;  but  although  there  certainly  was  a  differ- 
ence in  the  type  we  have  no  reliable  information  what  the  points  of 
variation  were.  With  the  unfortunate  neglect  of  horse-breeding 
and  the  more  disastrous  effects  of  the  Anglo-Boer  war  these  types 
passed  away  before  they  were  firmly  established.  To-day  every 
effort  is  being  made  to  breed  on  the  lines  of  the  old  type  and  some 
of  the  Colesberg  breeders  are  so  fortunate  as  still  to  own  some  of 
the  old  Hantam  mares. 

In  1811  and  afterwards  some  of  the  best  Thoroughbreds  im- 
ported to  the  Cape  found  tlieir  way  to  these  studs.  Mr.  Oosthuizen 
owned  War  Eagle,  Turpin  and  Eveuus.  Turpin  later  went  to  the 
Orange  P^ree  State  and  then  into  Natal.  Mr.  Louw  owned  Sir  Her- 
cules, and  Sorcerer.  Mr.  Van  Zijl  owned  Sir  Hercules  (Louw's), 
Champagne  Charlie  and  Sir  Arayas  Leigli — horses  that  were  on  a 
par  with  any  of  tliose  that  crown  the  genealogical  trees  of  other 
breeds.'^"'  The  foundation  stock  was  as  we  have  seen  from  the  first 
chapter  mostly  of  Oriental  strains,  with  the  evception  perhaps  of 
the  five  stud  horses  from  Boston,  U.  S.  A.,  in  1872  and  several  stal- 
lions from  England  in  the  same  year. 

Up  to  the  beginning  of  last  century,  almost  a  century  and  a 
half,  Oriental  blood  has  been  the  dominant  one ;  since  then  the 
Thorougrbred  reigned  for  half  a  century,  when  a  period  of  Hack- 
neys, Clevelands,  Roadsters  and  even  Cart  Horse  sires  in  1890  and 
after. 

The  Hackneys  fonnd  greatest  favor  in  the  Western  Province 
of  the  Cape  Colony.     The  Melck  and  Kotze  studs  in  Malmesbury 

(.37)   Benrich  Lichtenstein  " Heisen  in  Sildlichen  Afrika  1798-1806,  Berlin  1811. 

Live  Stoclc  Journal  No.  2  "Light  Horses" — Breeds  and  Manafjement. 

London  1907. 
(38)    Compare.     Graf  C  G.  Wrangel  "Die  Bassen  der  Pferdes"  Stuttgart  1909. 

98 


are  still  breeding  from  Hackneys  and  turn  out  a  serviceable  driv- 
ing horse.  Several  studs  in  the  Montagu,  Robertson  and  Caledon 
districts  possess  high  class  Hackneys  and  their  horses  are  of  excel- 
lent quality.  With  a  few  other  exceptions  all  the  other  breeders  have 
taken  to  the  Thoroughbred  once  more.  The  foundation  stock  in  all 
these  studs  consists  mainly  of  Cape  mares.  Very  splendid  types 
existed  in  pre-war  days  and  it  is  a  very  great  pity  we  do  not  possess 
reliable  descriptions  of  them  and  of  the  sires  used  in  their  founda- 
tion. Since  the  war  we  have  been  busy  rehabilitating  our  horse 
stock,  still  the  matter  is  not  definitely  settled  yet,  except  by  those 
who  breed  for  the  race  course.  It  would  be  of  great  practical  ad- 
vantage is  a  collective  account  could  be  made  of  our  horse  mater- 
ial and  find  out  just  what  is  wanted  and  what  lines  should  be  fol- 
lowed, and  are  being  followed  throughout  the  country. 

(b)   THE  BASUTO  PONY. 

Basutoland  was  first  occupied  and  settled  by  Chaka  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  19th  Century  when  it  was  temporarily  occupied  by 
roving  bands  of  natives.  The  Basuto  nation  was  only  unified  in 
1828  under  Moshesh.^^  These  facts  do  away  with  the  idea  that  the 
Basuto  Pony  may  have  originated  from  tlie  Shetland  ponies  stolen 
from  British  officers  and  crossed  with  native  mares  procured  orig- 
inally from  the  East  Coast  and  brought  down  by  the  Arabs.  Horses 
were  not  known  to  the  natives  in  those  regions  at  any  time  before 
the  19th  Century. .  .  The  first  horse  seen  in  Zululand  was  taken  there 
by  Chief  Dingiswayo  from  the  Cape  Colony  towards  the  beginning 
of  last  Century.'*° 

Mr.  S.  Barrett,  Assistant  Commissioner  in  Basutoland  writes 
in  "The  Field"  of  July,  1901  that  "The  Shetland  pony  origin  of 
the  Basuto  Pony  is  a  myth.  The  first  Shetland  Pony  imported  to 
South  Africa,  was  owned  by  Mr.  Carwood  Grahamstown  and  as 
much  as  we  know  it  was  never  stolen  by  the  Basutos.  From  talks 
with  the  oldest  Chiefs  and  missionaries  I  find  the  Shetland  Pony 
theory  generally  discredited. ' ' 

The  first  horses  owned  by  the  Basutos  were  taken  from  maraud- 
ing hordes  of  Koranna  who  raided  the  country  when  the  late  Chief 
Letsie  was  a  young  man — probably  1830-35.     The  Rev.  M.  Cassalis, 

(39)  See  McCall  Theal's  History  of  South  Africa. 

(40)  J.  W.  BowTcer.     Bacing  Calendar  1901. 

99 


French  Protestant  Missionery  relates  liow  proud  Letsie  was  of  his 
accomplishment  of  riding  bare  back  on  a  horse  stolen  from  the  emi- 
grant farmers  of  that  period. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  Basntos  were  in  possession  of  horses 
long  before  that  date;  for  cattle  and  horse  thefts  were  a  great 
annoyance  to  the  frontier  farmers  all  through  the  18th  Century. 
During  the  last  decade  of  that  century  over  300  horses  along  with 
thousands  of  cattU^  and  sheep  were  stolen  and  taken  into  the  moun- 
tains of  Basutoland  and  neighborhood."  The  Basuto  conquered 
these  hordes  and  occupied  aiul  settled  Basutoland  and  some  of  these 
horses  must  have  been  among  the  spoils. 

The  neighboring  territory  now  the  Orange  Free  State  was  first 
occupied  in  1838  by  the  emigrants  from  the  Cape  Colony.  Basutos 
were  largely  employed  as  farm  hands  and  were  paid  in  stock  and 
si)eculators  exchanged  large  droves  of  liorses  for  slaughter  stock 
with  the  Basutos  who  were  veiy  anxious  to  possess  horses.  Tliey 
were  a  sporting  race  and  many  well-bred  staUions  have  found  their 
wa}^  into  the  country.  "Representatives  of  Tormentor  (by  Wild 
Dayrell),  Sir  Amyas  Leigh  (Adventurer),  Bellandrnm  (Stock- 
well)  and  many  others  are  to  be  traced  in  the  hands  of  the  natives 
crossed  with  the  old  Dutch  (Cape)  breed  obtained  from  the 
farmers. '  '*- 

Owing  to  the  severity  of  the  winter  in  this  jriountainons  coun- 
ary — the  Thermometer  often  indicating  10"' -15'^  of  frost  in  the 
valleys  and  plateaus,  while  the  peaks  are  snow  covered — the  pro- 
geny of  these  horses  while  retaining  many  of  the  valuable  qualities 
of  their  progenitors  and  improving  in  hardiness  became  more  and 
more  stunted  in  size  and  gradually  developed  in  the  famous  Basuto 
Pony.*-'- 

The  Basuto  pony  is  somewhat  thickest  witli  a  rather  long  body 
on  short  strong  legs  and  extremely  hard  hoofs  combining  extraor- 
dinary secure  footing  and  comparative  high  speed. 

"Of  the  endurance  and  activity  of  these  animals  I  cannot  speak 
too  highly.  They  seldom  or  ever  get  anything  more  than  they  can 
pick  up  on  the  Veldt  and  yet  they  commonly  do  journeys  of  60-80 
miles  in  the  day  and  this  with  carrying  13-14  stone.  Tli^y  are 
wonderfully  sound  and  are  seldom  if  ever  shod,  although  some  of 

(41)  G.  E.  Cory.     The  Rise  of  South  Africa  1913. 

(42)  S.  Barrett  "The  Field"  July,  1901. 

(43)  /.  W.  Bowlder  " Eacing  Calendar"  1901. 

100 


the  tracks  are  very  stoney  and  rough.  They  run  loose  on  the 
mountains  and  are  not  caught  till  seven  or  eight  years  old,  their 
ages  being  reckoned  from  the  date  they  begin  to  work.  It  really 
does  not  much  matter  if  these  ponies  are  aged  as  they  will  work  for 
years.  A  peculiarity  I  noticed  is  that  the  marks  of  the  teeth  be- 
tween six  and  eight  years  show  them  younger  than  they  really  are, 
the  teeth  being  worn  down,  being  attributable  to  the  quantity  of 
sand  takeji  in  with  the  rough  herbage.  "^^  This  peculiarity  is  com- 
mon to  most  of  the  Soutb  African  liorses  tliat  are  bred  on  the  veld 
and  in  the  dry  plateaux  regions. 

During  the  latter  part  of  last  century  a  number  of  so-called 
Basuto  Ponies  have  been  successful  in  Johannesburg  and  other  rac- 
ing centers,  but  most  of  them  can  be  traced  directly  or  indirectly 
to  the  Orange  Free  State.  Pious  Peter  sold  for  £500  in  Johannes- 
burg was  bred  in  the  Orange  Free  State ;  so  was  Bafar  and  Soldaat, 
the  fastest  pony  in  Basutolaud  at  that  time. 

Scottie,  another  star  of  the  Course  is  a  son  of  Honesty,  a  well- 
known  racer  in  the  Orange  Free  State  and  a  son  of  Champagne 
Charlie.^^ 

Basutolaud  should  be  a  first  rate  horse  breeding  country,  ly- 
ing as  it  does  at  an  even  elevation  of  some  four  to  five  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  with  a  temperate  climate  in  which  Horse-sickness 
is  unknown.  Droughts  are  seldom  and  the  pastures  although  rough 
are  very  good. 

Basuto  Ponies  are  famous  all  through  South  Africa  and  as 
Polo  Ponies  they  have  quite  a  fame  in  India.  The  Army  Remount 
Report  while  placing  the  average  South  African  cob  as  "unsur- 
passable" placed  the  Basuto  Pony  as  the  "best".  He  can  be  bred 
with  very  little  expense  and  valuable  as  they  are  they  very  seldom 
fetch  high  prices.  The  Basuto  often  will  not  sell  and  in  barter  his 
price  will  rarely  exceed  £8  or  £10. 

The  best  horse  experts  are  agreed  that  the  Basuto  Pony  has 
sufficient  individuality  to  be  classed  as  a  distinct  type.*'' 

Too  little  is  known  of  the  Namaqua  Pony  to  give  it  a  special 
heading,  yet  a  few  remarks  will  well  merit  this  hardy  type  of  pony 
that  has  silently  been  in  the  make  for  many  years. 

(44)  J.  A.  Nunn  "Reports  on  Horse  Supply  uf  South  Africa  18SS." 

(45)  J.  W.  Bowl'er  "Racing  Calendar  July,  1901." 

Campare  Captain  McCall  's  report  in  Cape  Montlily  1865. 

(46)  J.  M.  Christy  A.  F.  V.  S.     Transvaal  Agricultural  Journal.     1908. 

101 


The  large  arid  regions  of  the  North  West  Cape  Colony  com- 
prising Namaqualand  and  the  districts  of  Kenhardt  and  Prieska, 
some  30,000  square  miles,  possess  large  numbers  of  excellent  ponies, 
and  now  and  then  we  hear  of  their  extraordinary  powers  of  travel- 
ling through  waterless  parts  for  several  days  subsisting  on  the 
scantiest  fare  as  offered  by  the  few  withered  yet  succulent  shrubs, 
tough  dune-grass  and  water  melons. 

Great  irrigation  schemes  are  being  undertaken  in  those  regions 
and  some  are  already  well  established.  The  districts  are  becoming 
more  settled  and  it  will  therefore  be  of  great  value  and  assistance 
to  the  settlers  and  older  established  farmers  if  this  excellent  type 
of  horses  could  be  improved.  The  Cape  Mounted  Police  on  the 
borders  and  in  Bechuanaland  use  Camels  at  great  expense'*'^  and 
seeing  that  the  water  holes  are  not  too  far  distant  from  one  another 
there  is  no  reason  why  these  sturdy  ponies  will  not  be  a  success  were 
they  procurable  in  sufficient  numbers. 

Such  an  undertaking  will  be  a  step  in  the  right  direction  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  a  few  well  selected  Arab  stallions  will  have 
the  desired  effect, 

(c)  WHAT   TYPE  TO  BREED. 

The  South  African  war  once  more  called  the  best  attention  to 
the  Cape  Horse,  not  only  at  home  but  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
His  real  merit  in  competition  with  almost  every  other  breed  clearly 
asserted  itself.  Since  then  some  of  the  best  writers  on  the  horse 
have  devoted  at  least  some  remarks  on  the  Cape  Horse  in  their  books 
and  contributions  to  periodicals.** 

As  remarked  before,  the  question  of  registration  of  horses  is 
beset  with  many  difficulties.  Several  excellent  but  undefined,  un- 
pedigreed  or  rather  unregistered  types  existed  showing  the  unde- 
cidedness  in  the  minds  of  the  people  breeding  these  types;  and 
even  to-day  there  is  a  great  diversity  in  the  ideals  of  the  great 
breeders,  but  since  the  Thoroughbred  is  mainly  used  and  since  the 
breeding  stock  is  brought  up  to  the  standard  of  the  Hantam  type 
of  the  forties  it  seems  that  matters  are  pointing  to  the  production 
of  a  type  as  near  the  Thoroughbred  of  compactness  as  possible, 
with  special  adaptation  to  South  African  conditions. 

(47)  Estimates  and  Expenditures  Bluehools  1911- 

(48)  Sir  Walter  Gilbey,  Count  C.  E.  Wrangel,  Quaddelclcer  and  others. 

1G2 


Sir  Alfred  Pease  in  his  article  "Breeds  of  Horses  Suitable  to 
South  Africa"*^  urges  the  breeders  to  make  up  their  minds  what 
classes  of  horses  they  desire  to  breed  and  possess.  ' '  Whatever  types 
we  select  we  require  them  constitutionally  hardy  and  sound,  with 
good  legs  and  feet,  capable  of  resisting  the  variations  of  cold  and 
heat  and  of  thriving  on  either  the  Low  or  High  veld  pastures." 
There  is  no  doubt  that  Sir  Alfred  had  in  mind  the  glories  won  by 
the  Cape  Horse  in  India  and  the  Crimea  under  the  most  oppositely 
extreme  climates  when  he  wrote  this  article  and  continues  that  "it 
appears  that  there  are  two  different  stamps  that  are  specially  in 
demand. 

Firstly,  a  horse  of  handy  size  for  riding  and  military  purposes 
about  15  hands  high  (14.2-3)  high,  with  the  greatest  combination  of 
quality  and  strength  o])tainable  and  possessing  the  utmost  resis- 
tance to  the  attacks  of  Horse  sickness  and  other  diseases  and  equal 
to  sustained  exertion  on  such  forage  as  the  country  produces.  This 
type  of  horse  will  also  be  adaptable  to  light  harness  work. 

Secondly :  A  horse  fitted  for  the  heavy  traffic  of  towns  and 
for  agricultural  purposes.  This  class  must  possess  similar  qual- 
ities in  regard  to  climate,  food  and  resistance  to  disease  as  the  first 
mentioned  type  but  in  addition  must  have  weight  and  great  mus- 
cular development. 

In  produci]ig  tlie  first  type  Sir  Alfred  covers  the  same  ground 
as  before  mentioned.  The  sires  should  be  of  the  oldest  established 
breeds  and  the  mares  graded  on  lines  of  best  conformation  and 
blood. 

He,  liowever,  gives  preference  to  the  Arab  as  a  sire  on  the  plea 
that  he  will  find  a  second  home  in  South  Africa  and  his  progeny 
will  be  hardier  than  those  of  the  Thoroughbred.  The  Arab  and 
his  types  were  used  largely  in  the  production  both  of  the  Thorougli- 
bred  and  the  old  Cape  Horse,  and  if  the  right  type  is  secured  he 
would  be  the  best  possible  sire  for  South  African  conditions. 

The  second  type  will  be  more  difficult  to  produce  and  perhaps 
it  will  be  best  to  breed  mules  for  heavy  draft  and  agricultural  pur- 
poses. "Breeds  like  the  Clydesdales,  Shires  and  others  will  never 
do  in  South  Africa;  heavy  carcasses,  thick  coats,  hairy  legs,  apart 
form  other  considerations,  are  not  suitable  either  for  rainy  seasons 
or   hot   climates."     Percherons   might    do   better,    but   something 

(49)    Transvaal  Agricultural  Journal  Vol.  II,  1904. 

103 


lighter  still  wall  do  best,  such  as  the  Hackneys,  Oldenburgs  and 
their  class. 

Where  the  Cleveland,  Hackney  and  Roadster  sire  is  recom- 
mended for  the  breeding-  of  this  heavier  type,  all  experts  are  careful 
to  modify  them  very  much  and  always  want  his  progeny  to  be 
crossed  with  "a  well  selected  short  coupled  Thoroughbred  of  from 
15.2  to  15.3  to  get  stamina  and  blood  and  in  the  case  where  Arabs 
were  used  as  first  insalment  stallions  to  get  substance  and  size  for 
horses  of  the  first  type. 

Mr.  Barter  a  pioneer  horse  breeder  in  Natal  and  speaking  of 
almost  half  a  century's  experience,  maintains  that  Natal  is  a  fit 
home  for  the  Thoroughbred  and  certainly  less  adapted  to  the  coarser 
equine  breeds  during  the  summer  heat  and  scorcliing  winds. 

He  advocates  the  breeding  of  light  horses  from  the  Thorough- 
bred and  from  these  select  the  types  best  suited  for  driving  and 
riding.  In  breeding  for  draft  purposes  the  aim  should  be  to  make 
compastness  of  form,  symnietry,  sound  limbs  and  feet,  supple  action 
supply  the  absence  of  weight  and  bulk.^" 

In  reviewing  what  has  been  said  on  this  matter  one  frequently 
finds  that  the  breeding  for  "general  purpose"  is  widely  advocated; 
but  it  has  never  obtained  ihe  whole-hearted  approval  of  the  best 
authorities. 

Dr.  Ilutcheon  in  1905  admits  that  horses  for  general  purposes 
can  be  bred  in  large  numbers  in  otlier  stock  districts  where  they  are 
left  to  take  their  chances  on  the  veld,  and  the  breeders  can  afford 
to  sell  at  a  price  the  breeders  in  the  district  requiring  extra  feed 
can  not.  But  holds  that  horses  of  fine  symmetry  and  quality  can- 
not be  produced  on  the  veld  w]::ere  they  are  at  the  mercy  of  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  weather  and  drought.  Any  well-matched  pair  of 
such  horses,  which  were  fed  through  foal-hood  and  possess  quality 
and  symmetry  together  with  the  good  qualities  of  hardiness  and 
stamina  can  always  command  their  own  price  in  the  Colony  whei'eas 
those  of  the  mob  must  sell  for  what  is  offered  and  frequently  have 
no  offers  at  all. 

Barter  very  emphatically  maintains  that  breeding  for  general 
purposes  means  breeding  for  no  purpose  whatever.  In  a  previous 
chapter  we  have  made  use  of  this  authority 's  views  on  carriage  and 
driving  horses,  it  may  just  be  mentioned  here  that  he  bred  from 

(50)  Natal  Agricultural  Journal  Vol.  VII,  1904. 

104 


Thorouglibred  sires  oulj^;  but  by  a  method  of  very  strict  selection 
he  produced  both  driving  and  carriage  horses  which  even  the  best 
breeders  in  England  would  have  been  proud  to  possess ;  and  he  was 
intimately  acquainted  with  horse  breeding  in  Eiigland. 

From  a  previous  chapter  we  know  that  sires  of  other  breeds 
were  used  in  grading  up  the  breeding  stock  and  in  fact  were  also 
used  to  replace  the  Thorouglibred  after  the  importation  of  the 
"blood  weeds"  i)i  1860  and  after.  Most  of  the  best  horse  experts 
are  of  the  opinion  that  these  sires  caused  a  further  deterioration 
of  our  horse  stock.  But  under  the  circumstances  it  seemed  the  best 
remedy  and  the  best  breeders  and  experts  advised  the  use  of  Hack- 
neys, Clevelands  and  Roadsters  with  many  restrictions  but  always 
maintaining  that  if" the  right  type  of  Tlioroughbred  could  be  found 
he  would  be  the  best." 

Tliese  cross-breds  although  they  gained  in  size  and  stoutness 
were  lacking  in  many  good  qualities  possessed  by  the  Cape  Horse 
bred  from  Thoroughbred  sires  and  mares  with  Thoroughbred  blood 
in  their  veins.  An  eminent  authority  holds  that ' '  Hackneys,  Cleve- 
lands and  Flemish  horses  spoiled  our  horse  stock.  The  cross-breds 
would  not  pull  a  light  buggy  fifty  miles  along  an  ordinary  road 
during  a  day  and  bring  you  back  the  next  day  and  if  they  did,  how 
many  splints,  curbs  and  other  ailments  would  be  the  result,  or  given 
a  regiment  mounted  on  such  chargers,  would  they  ever  under  forced 
marching  orders  do  what  %  bred  Thoroughbreds  and  Arabs  would 
do?"-^i 

Reflecting  on  the  outcome  of  the  South  African  war  these  re- 
marks which  will  be  endorsed  bj^  the  majority  of  farmers  go  to 
show  that  cross-breds  other  than  from  Thoroughbred  sires  or  well 
selected  Cape  Horse  sires  are  an  undesired  class  and  when  light 
coach  breeds  and  other  than  Thoroughbreds  are  used  as  sires  they 
should  be  selected  with  great  caution. 

The  effects  of  using  heavy  breeds  such  as  Cart  Horse  and 
Shires  to  give  bone  and  substance  to  our  brood  mares  were  natur- 
ally worse  than  those  of  the  above  mentioned  lighter  breeds.  Mr. 
Barter,  Natal 's  greatest  horse  breeder,  called  it  "breeding  with  a 
vengeance,'  and  other  breeders  have  called  this  procedure  a  "suici- 
dal mania."  To  serve  a  14.2-3  %  Thoroughbred  mare  out  of 
Oriental  stock  to  a  Clydesdale,  Percheron  or  Shire  or  mares  of  these 

(51)   Agricultural  Journal  of  iJie  Cape  of  Good  Hope  Vol.  XXXIII. 

105 


to  a  Thoroughbred  seems  a  bad  procedure,  except  under  extreme 
restrictions  and  with  careful  selection. 

Yet  sach  methods  are  still  practised  by  some  farmers  and  even 
looked  upon  favorably  by  men  who  are  closely  connected  with  our 
live  stock  breeding. 

It  is  most  embarrassing  to  find  that  the  General  Manager  of 
the  Stauderton  farm,  speaking  of  Percherons  and  Clydesdales  re- 
marks that  "the  introduction  of  these  heavier  breeds  will  be  pro- 
ductive of  a  great  deal  of  good  as  bone  and  substance  are  very  much 
lacking  in  our  brood  mares"  ;'^'  while  the  General  Secretary  for 
Agriculture  remarks  that  ' '  one  of  the  most  noticeable  developments 
in  connection  with  live  stock  is  the  interest  taken  in  Hackneys  and 
the  heavier  breed  of  horses  like  Oldenburgs,  Clydesdales,  Suffolks 
and  Percherons.  This  is  welcomed,  both  on  account  of  their  value 
for  draft  purposes  and  for  providing  heavj'  mares  for  mule  breeding, 
and  for  mating  with  Thoroughbreds  in  order  to  obtain  the  general 
purpose  horse  which  plays  so  prominent  a  part  in  all  countries. 

Occasionally  two  or  three  horses  are  now  seen  employed  in 
ploughing  or  other  work  upon  the  land  and  there  is  little  doubt  the 
use  of  heavy  horses  for  farm  work  will  become  more  general,  "^^ 
The  occasional  appearance  of  two  or  three  heavy  horses  plowing 
is  certainly  noticeable  not  so  much  for  their  excellency  but  for 
their  rareness,  the  number  employed  in  this  way  are  few  and  far 
between  in  the  Transvaal  and  much  less  in  the  Orange  Free  State. 
The  quick,  hardy  Cape  bred  mule  is  most  commonly  used  and  the 
ox  is  as  largely  employed  in  these  provinces.  But  granting  that 
the  Clydesdale  may  do  as  a  useful  animal  for  heavy  draft  purposes 
he  and  his  class  will  never  do  in  cross-breeding  with  the  Cape  marc 
or  in  the  making  of  any  breed  that  will  do  best  for  South  African 
conditions.  There  are  several  horse  breeders  in  the  Cape  Colony 
who  breed  heavy  horses  only  and  find  a  ready  market  in  the  great 
towns;  but  in  those  districts  where  farming  is  most  extensive  the 
mule  and  "general  purpose"  horse  (a  cross-bred  Cape  and  Thor- 
oughbred) are  used  exclusively;  and  although  more  are  required 
to  do  the  work  which  less  of  the  heavier  breeds  will  do,  yet  they  are 
hardier  and  healthier,  require  less  care,  are  quicker  and  more  use- 
ful all  round. 


(52)  Appendix  XXXVI.     Department  of  Agriculture  Report  and  Appendices 

1913. 

(53)  Annual  Beport.     Bepartvient  of  Aarirulture  Report  and  Appendices  1913. 

lOG 


Continued  and  unintelligent  cross-breeding  has  been  the  ruin 
of  our  horse  stock  and  it  is  high  time  to  realize  that  only  by  a 
system  of  strict  selection  can  we  ultimately  establish  the  breed  and 
class  of  horse  that  will  best  suit  our  requirements  and  our  climate. 
Infusions  of  fresh  blood  will  only  be  of  advantage  from  allied 
strains,  such  as  the  Thoroughbred  and  the  Arab ;  from  these  almost 
every  breed  of  horses  has  been  produced  by  selection,  but  to  cross 
breed  any  of  these  very  different  breeds  (draft  and  light)  to-day, 
.except  those  of  very  close  affinity,  would  show  the  utmost  disregard 
of  the  elementary  principles  of  breeding. 

General  Sir  John  Watson  reviewing  all  the  literature  on  horse 
breeding  in  India  and  speaking  with  great  experience  comes  to 
the  conclusion  that  "to  create  an  Anglo-Indian  type  of  horse  cap- 
able of  reproducing  itself  can  never  succeed ;  the  endeavor  has 
been  persevered  in  for  a  century,  has  failed  and  will  fail ;  for  we 
are  fighting  against  natl^re  and  nature  will  beat  us  in  the  long  run. 
Climate  and  the  prevailing  normal  conditions  of  life  are  paramount 
in  determining  what  the  size  and  character  of  the  horse  of  any 
country  shall  be."^"* 

The  India  Horse  Breeding  Commission  of  1900  making  an  ex- 
tensive survey  of  the  horse  material  finds  that  "the  most  important 
point  that  invites  attention  is  the  existence  of  several  breeds  of 
horses  which  are  pure  and  in  the  Commission's  judgment  they  are 
well  worth  preserving.  Thse  breeds  are  now  being  improved  under 
conditions  as  nature  designed  them,  and  without  tlie  admixture  of 
Thoroughbred  blood  which  lias  proved,  during  recent  years  at  all 
events,  of  very  doubtful  advantage.  Economy  and  efficiency  alike 
point  to  the  wisdom  of  turning  over  a  new  leaf  altogether  and  dis- 
carding the  use  of  alien-sires  other  than  Arabs  of  the  best  breed." 

The  remark  on  the  Thoroughbred  as  a  sire  has  long  been  shared 
in  South  Africa  and  experts  have  always  been  careful  to  lay  re- 
strictions on  him  and  to  speak  of  the  "right  type  of  Thoroughbred" 
always  meaning  compactness,  stoutness,  great  weight-carrying 
power  and  all  such  points  as  would  distinguish  him  from  the  mere 
racer  or  "blood  weed." 

The  enlarged  structure  of  the  Thoroughbred  is  an  acquired  one 
— artificially  bred  into  him — and  in  the  endeavors  of  this,  sight  was 
lost  of  the  other  imported  qualities  and  to-day  we  know  tliat  in- 
creased height  certainly  does  not  involve  increased  strength  in  all 
(54)   Sir  Walter  Gilbey  "Horse  Brc  ^■:if:  'n  England  and  India"  1906. 

107 


directions  as  great  weight-carrying  powers,  endurance  and  hardi- 
ness. Considering  the  existing  conditions  of  the  country  it  would 
seem  that  they  demand  a  horse  bred  as  close  to  the  natural  condi- 
tions of  the  country  as  possible.  By  careful  selection  of  well-bred 
native  sires  and  of  Arabs  and  Thoroughbreds  we  will  be  able  to  in- 
crease size  and  substance  while  it  will  be  possible  to  preserve  the 
valuable  qualities  of  the  native  bred  dam.  These  qualities:  the 
hardiness,  robustness  of  constitution,  sureness  of  foot,  ability  to 
thrive  on  poor  feed  are  the  natural  outcome  of  conditions  undei; 
which  the  Cape  Horse  has  been  bred  through  centuries  and  to  pre- 
serve them  in  the  young  stock  it  will  be  necessary  to  rear  the  cross- 
bred foals  under  conditions  as  nearly  natural  as  their  constitution 
will  allow.  These  conditions  will  vary  for  the  several  provinces  to 
some  extent ;  but  common  and  necessary  ones  will  be  the  combina- 
tion of  great  freedom  with  plenty  available  shelter  and  food.  To 
stable  and  feed  them  artificially  would  encourage  undue  physical 
development  while  undermining  that  capacity  for  endurance  and 
hardship  which  has  been  once  the  greatest  points  in  favor  of  the 
Cape  Horse. 

It  is  true  that  we  import  over  eighty  percent  of  heavy  draft 
horses  for  the  cities  and  even  the  importation  of  mules  is  very  high ; 
but  this  does  not  justify  the  indiscriminate  cross-breeding  of  heavy 
sires  with  Cape  Mares.  The  breeding  of  draft  breeds  for  the  cities 
should  be  encouraged,  and  is  also  being  done,  but  they  should  be  kept 
pure,  or  bred  to  exceptionally  heavy  Cape  mares. 

Heavy  breeds  will  not  do  for  the  farmers  who  are  twenty  and 
more  miles  away  from  the  railway  station ;  a  light  team  trots  there 
and  back  and  for  the  reasons  already  mentioned — health,  speed,  less 
feed,  endurance,  etc. — this  team  is  worth*  double  the  value  of  the 
best  team  of  heavies. 

The  importation  of  mules  is  still  a  remainder  of  the  many  ir- 
regularities caused  by  the  war ;  the  stock  of  brood  mares  was  mainly 
employed  for  increasing  the  number  of  horses  and  as  soon  as  the 
main  necessaries  are  supplied  others  will  receive  their  due  regard. 

The  type  of  horse  that  Avill  be  of  the  greatest  value  to  the 
country  as  would  be  the  case  in  any  other  country  is  the  native 
breed  improved  into  such  types  as  the  various  needs  of  the  country 
demands.  This  type  will  be  produced  most  effectively  by  selection 
and  the  adherence  to  the  natural  conditions  of  the  country  and  not 
by  continued  cross-breeding  and  artificial  conditions. 

108 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  ECONOMIC  STATUS  OF  THE  HORSE  IN  SOUTH 
AFRICAN  FARMING. 

The  acquisition  of  the  horse  b}-  tlio  iii'st  eolouists  lias  been  one 
of  the  chief  factors  in  the  rise  and  supronacy  of  the  white  race  in 
South  Africa ;  yet  he  has  never  beeii  of  such  direct  economical  value 
as  his  brother  in  other  countries.  In  the  agricultural  development 
of  the  country  he  has  not  yet  come  to  his  own ;  the  ox,  the  nnde  and 
also  the  ass  have  been  mainly  used  for  transport,  and  agricultural 
purposes,  their  popularity  and  quantity  varying  witli  Ihc  degre<> 
of  agricultural  intensity  and  economic  factors  in  the  various  por- 
tions of  the  Union.  Mules  are  more  abundantly  used  in  the  grain 
district  around  the  Cape  Peninsula,  and  in  the  argicultural  dis- 
tricts of  the  Eastern  Cape  Colony,  whereas  the  ox  and  more  recently 
the  ass  are  mostly  used  in  the  interior  and  Natal.  It  is  for  eco- 
nomical reasons  that  the  horse  was  never  put  to  greater  utility  in 
agriculture.  South  Africa  is  by  nature  a  pastoral  country  first. 
The  large  herds  of  cattle  up  to  recently,  after  supplying  the  market 
with  beef  still  furnished  a  large  amount  of  oxen.  So  with  the  ex- 
ception of  those  small  localities  where  crops  are  grown  more  ex- 
tensively, all  cultivation  and  transport  are  done  by  teams  of  oxen. 
The  team  of  oxen  requires  less  handling,  no  stabling  nor  extra  feed. 

Most  of  the  plowing  is  done  after  the  summer  rains  have 
fallen  and  the  pastures  are  full.  A  good  and  well  trained  team  of 
12  or  16  large  Africanders  in  good  condition  and  managed  by  only 
two  average  farm  hands  walks  at  a  good  pace  and  with  a  double  or 
three  share  plough  they  turn  over  a  fine  piece  of  land  in  a  day. 
The  horse  or  muel  will  do  more ;  but  not  so  economically  in  the 
semi-arid  regions  with  summer  rains  only  whereas  the  opposite  may 
be  said  of  the  ox  in  the  regions  of  greater  agricultural  intensity  and 
these  compared  with  the  domain  of  the  ox  is  fractional. 

In  1896  and  for  some  time  after  when  the  Rinderpest  carried 
off  almost  50%  of  the  cattle  of  all  the  country  north  of  the  Cape 
Colony  the  horse  received  better  recognition ;  but  he  was  up  against 

109 


great  odds,  he  could  not,  hardy  as  he  is,  work  under  the  same  con- 
ditions as  the  yet  harder  Africander  ox,  he  could  not  do  the  same 
amount  of  work  on  veld  feed  and  owing  to  the  undeveloped  condi- 
tion of  the  agricultural  resources  no  sufficient  extra  feed  could  be 
supplied.     The  muel  and  ox  largely  filled  the  place  of  the  ox. 

The  problem  of  feeding  is  the  greatest  drawback  that  prevents 
the  horse  to  be  more  generally  used  in  Agriculture,  and  if  he  is 
given  the  same  Care  and  feed  as  the  mule  the  farmers  will  not  have 
one  overworked  team  of  mules  or  oxen  and  a  troop  of  30-100  mares 
and  young  horses  running  about  useless. 

Between  the  census  of  1904-1911  Natal  and  Eastern  Transvaal 
lost  the  greater  part  of  their  cattle  through  the  ravages  of  East 
Coast  fever;  the  decrease  of  cattle  in  Natal  (1911)  was  210.81  per 
cent.  This  gap  was  filled  up  mainly  by  asses  and  mules  and  the 
census  returns  show  an  increase  of  these  of  these  animals  of  250.81 
percent  for  mules  and  1,053.73  percent  for  asses.  This  increase 
was  made  by  importation  from  abroad  and  from  the  neighboring 
provinces  which  show  a  decrease  of  almost  50%  in  the  number  of 
mules.^  The  importation  of  mules  and  the  high  prices  are  altogether 
out  of  harmony  with  the  economics  of  animal  husbandy.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly the  result  of  the  disasters  caused  by  East  Coast  fever; 
but  at  the  bottom  of  it  all  is  the  feeding  problem  and  the  general  ne- 
glect to  make  better  use  of  the  troop  of  horses.  The  well-bred  hardy 
Cape  Horse  will  do  the  same  amount  of  work  given  the  same  care 
and  feed  as  the  average  Cape  bred  mule  besides  this  the  team  of 
mares  can  refill  the  team  many  times  over  and  the  gelding  can  be 
put  to  infinitel}^  morse  uses  than  the  mule  or  ass — simple  truths  that 
are  unhappily  realized  by  too  small  a  number  of  farmers,  and  they 
are  worth  considering  since  the  breeding  for  beef  is  coming  up  very 
rapidly  and  the  usual  large  and  strong  trek-ox  will  become  scarcer 
while  the  slow  ass  will  also  disappear  from  the  areas  of  greater  ag- 
ricultural development. 

The  horse  population  or  the  Union  in  1911  is  given  as  719,414 
and  tills  number  increases  to  813,345  if  mules  are  included.  Of  the 
almost  6,000,000  inhabitants,  only  about  one  and  a  quarter  million 
are  whites.  Excluding  the  natives  and  other  colored  people  and 
their  live  stock  we  find  that  each  white  person  possesses : 

.65  horse  and  mule,  or  .90  wiien  asses  are  in  eluded;   2.66  cat- 


(1)   Census  Beiurns  Live  Stock — 1911- 

110 


tie ;  15.62  pure-bred  sheep  or  21.47  with  other  sheep ;  3.04  Angora 
goats  or  5.69  with  other  goats ;  .67  ostriehes.- 

Comparing  these  figures  with  those  of  other  great  countries 
we  find  that  the  Union  of  South  Africa  has  more  than  twice  as  many- 
horses  and  mules  as  the  United  States,  more  than  twenty  times  as 
many  as  France  and  more  than  twenty-four  times  as  many  as  Ger- 
many per  head  of  population.  Yet  it  does  not  get  half  as  much 
value  of  its  horse  stock  as  these  great  countries  do,  where  almost  all 
their  agricultural  wealth  rests  on  the  horse. 

The  Union  possesses  more  than  half  the  number  of  horses, 
mules  and  asses  on  the  continent  of  Africa  which  do  not  number 
two  million  fully  while  the  Union  figures  are  given  as  more  than 
1,140,000. 

The  natives  are  agriculturists  mainly ;  that  is  they  produce 
only  as  much  as  they  need  for  food  until  the  next  season  and  if  the 
crops  fail  owing  to  droughts  or  other  catastrophes  they  are  depend- 
ent on  the  whites.  The  percentage  proportion  of  the  live-stock 
owned  by  the  whites  and  natives  as  follows :' 

Horses  Cattle         Pure  bred  sheep        Other  sheep 

Whites 78.27  57.37  88.94  84.08 

Natives 21.73  42.63  11.06  15.92 

Pure  bred  Goats         Other  Goats  Pigs  Ostriches 

AVhites 89.10  44.22  40.67  99.28 

Natives 10.90  55.78  59.33  0.72 

A  statistical  survey  of  the  past  centuries  is  impossible  in  a 
country  that  lias  been  and  is  still  continually  expanding.  Taking 
leaps  of  about  a  century  we  find  that  each  person  in  the  Cape  Col- 
ony possessed  in 

1690—  .26  horse,  53.52  sheep,  4.74  cattle. 

1796—2.17  horses,  66.44  sheep,  11.52  cattle. 

1891—0.79  horse,  30.16  pure-bred  sheep,  7.03  other  sheep,  2.92 
cattle. 

These  figures  are  of  no  value  except  to  show  the  pastoral  wealth 
towards  the  close  of  the  18th  Century  and  remarked  upon  by  Lich- 
tenstein,  Heitmann  and  many  other  explorers  of  that  period.  This 
wealth  continued  into  the  next  century  and  we  are  already  famil- 
iar with  some  of  the  achievements  and  catastrophes  of  that  age — 

(2)  Census  Eelurns  Live  Stocl: — 1911- 

(3)  Census  Beturns  Live  Stock — 1911- 

111 


the  Indian  trade  in  remounts,  tlie  numerous  studs  with  excellent 
stock,  and  the  importation  of  Thoroughbreds.  The  ultimate  deter- 
ioration of  the  stock,  the  ravages  of  Horse-Sickness  and  the  results 
of  the  great  Trek  aiid  Kaffir  wars  explain  the  low  figure  for  horses 
in  1891  when  the  periodical  disease  of  Horse-Sickness  passed  lika 
a  huge  wave  of  destruction  over  the  country. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  trace  the  prices  of  horses  during  the 
ci'iituries,  for  even  tlic  price  for  remounts  are  often  not  quoted  and 
amongst  the  fanners  a  system  of  exchange  or  barter  has  been  much 
in  practise. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  price  paid  for  a  horse  at  the  first 
public  sale  of  horses  in  1665  was  ecjual  to  that  of  four  large  oxen 
in  prime  condition.  With  the  exception  of  the  one  quotation  of  a 
stallion  costing  3000  Thaler  we  do  not  know  the  market  value  of  an 
average  horse  in  the  18th  Century  nor  M^ould  it  be  correct  to  sssume 
it  comparatively  M-ilh  the  stallion's  price;  but  then  periiaps  more 
than  nov/  good,  reliable  and  strong  riding  horses  comanded  fancy 
prices. 

In  1796,  the  year  horses  were  mast  numerous  (2.17  for  each 
person)  the  price  for  a  remount  was  80  rixdollars  (£16  or  $80) 
and  a  superior  quality  fetched  100  rixdollars.  At  this  period  Eng- 
land held  the  Cape  for  Holland,  an  occupation  that  became  per- 
manent in  1806.  The  Records  further  remark  that  the  value  of  all 
trade  matters  increased  remarkably  after  the  English  occupation, 
and  the  price  for  horses  increased  from  60  to  150  rixdollars.* 

During  the  twenties  and  thirties  of  last  century  horses  bred 
from  the  excellent  stallions  imported  by  Lord  Charles  Somerset 
fetched  very  high  prices.  Mr.  van  Reenen  sold  mares  at  £113 :  13.6 
and  yearlings  freciuently  fetched  1000  rixdollars  and  3000,  3500  and 
more  v/ere  paid  for  colts  of  exceptional  promise."* 

A  decade  later  the  price  of  remounts  varied  from  £18-£33  in 
round  figures.  Those  exported  to  India  cost  almost  double  that 
price  when  landed.  A  batch  of  horses  exported  to  Bombay  in  1849 
costing  on  an  average  £33 :  2.6  were  estimated  to  cost  £63  :10  :6  in- 
clusive of  freight  and  other  expenses  of  the  voyage.''    This  price 

(4)  General  Craig  to  J\i.  Hon.  Sir  Henry  Dundas  in  Eecords  of  Cape  Colony 

No.  406. 

(5)  Becords  of  Cape  Colony  Vol.  XXIII-XXVI. 

(*)   li  was  the  transition  period  for  coinage  and  the  dollar  must  still  have  had 
a  value  of  4  or  sy^  shillings. 

(6)  Bemount  Agent  Major  J.  Bower.     Horse  Supply  for  India — Annexures  and 

Printed  papers  of  House  of  Assembly  1858. 

112 


was  frequently  much  higher,  especially  when  a  smaller  number  were 
exported.  The  following  list  gives  the  number  and  value  in  1857 
and  exported  not  as  property  of  the  government  or  East  India 
Company  -J 

Madras,  11  horses  £950 ;  Bombay,  6  horses  £300 ;  Ceylon,  8  horses 
£340 ;  Geelong,  1  horse  £75 ;  St.  Helena,  16  horses  £5-50  ;  Mauritius, 
349  horses  £16699  ;  Bourbon,  23  horses  £690  ;  Walfish  Bay,  2  horses 
£20 ;   Rio  de  Janeiro,  40  horses  £1445. 

The  5482  horses  exported  during  the  Indian  Mutiny  in  1758 
were  bought  for  the  average  price  of  £39  :7.  Both  this  and  previous 
prices  paid  were  much  higher  than  that  offered  by  the  Remount 
Committee  in  1845  for  horses  to  be  delivered  at  their  depots  in  India 
for  600  rupees  (£30)  for  horses;  550  rupees  for  geldings  and  500 
rupees  for  colts.  As  we  know  from  previous  remarks  nothing  came 
of  these  restrictions  and  they  had  to  buy  at  colonial  prices  and  ex- 
port at  their  own  risk,  still  they  had  their  way  ultimately  and  with 
the  decline  and  subsequent  fall  of  the  trade  we  are  already  familiar. 

In  1888  Veterinary  surgeon  Nunn  made  three  very  extensive 
tours  through  the  best  horse-breeding  districts,  including  the  lower 
parts  of  the  Orange  Free  State  and  remarks  that  only  a  limited 
number  of  remounts  could  be  obtained  for  heavy  dragoons  and 
medium  cavalry,  but  in  times  of  emergency  especially  if  the  stand- 
ard was  somewhat  relaxed  a  certain  number  could  be  found  suitable 
for  light  or  irregular  cavalry.  The  price  of  an  average  horse  of 
this  kind  he  estimated  from  £20  to  £25 ;  Cobs  for  mounted  infantry 
£15  to  £20 ;  mules  about  £20.  Horses  fit  for  hea\y  cavalry  would 
be  hard  to  put  a  price  on,  there  were  but  few  and  if  required  they 
would  fetch  fancy  prices;  bnt  at  a  rough  guess  he  placed  them  at 
£35.8 

During  the  Herero  war  in  German  South  West  Africa  (1904r-7) 
Germany  bought  large  numbers  of  horses  in  the  Union.  The  aver- 
aged price  paid  was  £28  and  for  second  class  animals  this  was  very 
good.^ 

At  the  present  time  good  horses  always  command  their  own 
prices,  but  they  are  few  and  never  reach  the  market.  The  prices 
for  horses  at  the  Live  Stock  Market  during  1913  varied  from  £19  to 

(7)  Custom  House.     Cape  Town  1858. 

(8)  Reports  on  the  Horse  Supply  of  South  Africa.     J.  A.  Nunn  to  Adjudant 

General  in  1888. 

(9)  Natal  Agricultural  Journal  1906  and  also  Exports  and  Customs  1903-1911. 

113 


£30.^**  The  breeders  of  reputation  possessing  excellent  stock  and 
stallions  cannot  meet  the  demand  for  yearling  colts  which  sell  out 
from  £50-£100.  J\Iares  are  never  for  sale  or  at  least  very  seldom 
and  two-yearlings  are  as  scarce.  With  breeders  of  heavier  breeds 
near  the  cities  things  are  different  and  they  sell  at  serviceable  ages. 

South  African  bred  Thoroughbreds  generally  fetch  very  high 
prices. 

At  the  Rand  Agricultural  Show  (Johannesburg)  in  April  1914, 
the  sale  of  several  South  African  bred  Thoroughbred  two-yearlings 
attracted  great  attention.  Five  hundred  guineas  was  the  top  price 
for  a  half-brother  to  "Eiffel  Tower"  by  Sarcelle;  500  guineas  for 
' '  The  Mede ' '  by  Sarcelle ;  ' '  Niobe  's ' '  half-sister  fetched  400  guineas 
and  '"Blanche"  and  "Sir  Starr"  each  fetched  300  guineas.^^ 

Although  these  prices  are  high  they  do  not  reach  that  paid  for 
colts  of  great  promise  in  the  beginning  of  last  century  and  are  prob- 
ablj'^  not  of  the  same  calibre,  conformation  and  weight  carrying 
powers.  The  sires  of  that  period  more  generally  combined  great 
weight  and  compactness  with  speed  than  present  day  sires  which 
have  lost  many  good  qualities  in  their  attainment  of  greater  size 
and  speed. 

It  is  a  frequent  remark  that  there  are  sufficient  horses  in  South 
Africa  but  that  tlieir  c[uality  is  not  on  a  par  with  their  quantity. 
Managers  of  stud  farms,  great  breeders  and  experts  all  complain  of 
"weedy"  and  undesirable  sires  and  this  circumstance  has  probably 
driven  some  men  wlio  ought  to  know  better  into  the  belief  that 
crosses  with  heavy  breeds  will  remedy  matters ;  but  the  experience 
of  the  past,  and  of  Die  best  experts  have  proved  the  contrary.  Eco- 
nomically no  other  horse  v/ill  give  a  greater  amount  of  general 
efficiency  and  usefulness  than  the  Cape  Horse — the  type  that  is  still 
met  with  occasionally  and  represents  the  ideal  type  of  palmy  Han- 
tam  days.  He  is  a  native  of  the  land  with  the  breath  of  the  life- 
giving  veld  in  his  nostrils,  the  tenacity,  health  and  power  of  the 
virgin  soil  of  the  pastures  in  his  hoof,  bone  and  tendon — an  equal 
to  any  other  equine  quadruped  in  the  world. 

During  seven  years  (1904-11)  the  Orange  Free  State  Province 
has  increased  its  horse  stock  189.47  percent ;  Natal  13.57  ;  Transvaal 
72.61  and  the  Cape  Colony  30.93.  The  Orange  Free  State  pos- 
sesses splendid  horse  breeding  areas  and  some  of  the  material  used 

(10)  Farmers  Weeldy  WIS. 

(11)  Band  Daily  Mail  16  April,  1914. 

Ill 


is  of  a  high  class.  It  is  a  very  hopeful  sign  that  horses,  not  im- 
ported heavies,  but  quick,  strong  light-bred  horses  are  becoming 
more  common  in  agriculture.  With  better  methods  of  management 
and  breeding  the  Cape  Horse  will  soon  be  a  strong  economical  fac- 
tor in  the  ever-widening  agricultural  development  which  is  only  just 
beginning.  With  our  cattle  bred  for  beef,  the  ass  discarded  for  his 
slowness,  and  the  heavy  draft  animal  for  his  expense  and  unsuit- 
ability,  the  strong,  shortlegged,  bigbarreled  and  well-bred  Cape 
Horse  has  every  chance  to  become  the  foundation  of  our  agriculture. 

The  economic  value  of  the  Cape  Horse  as  a  factor  in  war  has 
been  established  beyond  doubt.  We  are  already  familiar  with  his 
achievement  in  India,  the  Crimea,  the  many  Kaffir  wars,  the  Herero 
war  and  last  but  not  least  the  Anglo-Boer  War.  His  hardiness, 
surefootedness,  willingness  and  capability  of  doing  much  work  on 
scanty  rations  have  gained  for  him  a  world-wide  fame. 

Sir  Walter  Gilbey  in  his  ' '  Small  horses  in  Warfare ' '  that  was 
written  during  the  Anglo-Boer  War  seems  to  have  been  inspired 
mainly  by  the  experiences  gained  in  that  campaign  where  even  with 
double  teams  of  remounts,  picked  from  every  available  spot  on 
earth,  the  British  forces  could  not  overtake  the  Boers  on  their 
' '  ponies. "  * '  Their  rapidity  of  movement  has  given  us  an  important 
lesson  in  the  military  value  of  horses  of  that  useful  type  which  is 
suitable  for  light  cavalry  and  mounted  infantry.  It  was  then 
proved  beyond  dispute  that  these  small  horses  are  both  liardy  and 
enduring,  while  owing  to  their  possession  like  our  English  Thor- 
oughbreds of  a  strong  strain  of  Arab  blood,  they  were  speedy  enough 
for  light  cavalry  purposes."^-  The  only  objection  to  the  Cape  re- 
mount previously  to  the  war  was  his  size.  He  was  judged  by  Euro- 
pean standards  and  those  standards  were  reached  by  artificial 
measures.  In  breeding  for  increased  height,  however  plausible  in 
certain  breeds,  the  great  importance  of  other  valuable  qualities  are 
lost  sight  of.  This  fact  was  brought  home  in  a  very  disastrous  way 
and  very  soon  the  leggy  or  artificially  increased  horse  was  a  hopeless 
failure  against  the  smaller,  speedier  and  hardier  Cape  Horse. 

In  this  relentless  prejudice  of  size  lies  the  defeat  of  the  British 
cavalry  in  South  Africa.  The  larger  horse  of  light  breeds  owes  his 
increased  size  to  artificial  methods  of  production  and  under  war 
conditions  he  cannot  keep  up  with  horses  bred  under  natural  con- 
ditions. 

(12)   "Cape  Horses"  in  "Small  Horses  in  Warfare".     Sir  Walter  Gilbey  1900. 

115 


Speaking  of  the  purchase  of  large  numbers  of  horses  in  foreign 
countries  by  the  remount  agents — Sir  Walter  Gilbey  remarks  that 
''had  the  demand  been  made  for  ponies  a  very  large  proportion 
could  have  been  cheaply  and  quickly  been  bought  in  England  for 
their  mode  of  life  would  have  suited  them  very  well  for  'roughing 
it'  in  South  Africa."  In  peace  time  this  type  of  horse  will  do  more 
general  farm  work  than  his  pampered  brother  of  a  hand  or  more 
higher. 

For  economic  reasons  this  fact  cannot  be  impressed  on  South 
African  breeders  too  much ;  namely,  that :  increased  structure  and 
height  does  not  imply  increased  utility  in  all  directions.  It  is  the 
general  opinion  to-day  of  every  expert  on  the  matter  that  the  Thor- 
oughbred with  his  increased  height  attained  at  the  present  time 
has  lost  in  great  measure  the  qualities  possessed  by  his  smaller  an- 
cestors.^^ Some  of  the  best  breeders  of  Arabs  found  no  difficulty  in 
grading  them  up  a  couple  of  inches ;  but  they  found  that  when  this 
had  been  done  the  bigger  horses  were  in  no  way  better,  stronger  or 
stouter  than  Arabs  of  normal  size.^* 

The  experience  of  a  great  trainer  of  race  horses  favors  small 
horses :  "  As  a  rule  you  may  get  fifty  good  small  horses  for  one  good 
large  one  and  the  smaller  ones  stick  to  the  course  longer  than  the 
large  ones.  A  good  big  horse  may  beat  a  good  small  horse  over  a 
short  course,  but  I  think  at  three  or  four  miles  a  good  little  one 
would  beat  the  best  big  one  I  ever  saw."  In  forty  years  of  exper- 
ience he  recalls  only  one  good  stallion  above  or  about  16  hands — 
Stockwell — "Both  for  the  race  course  and  the  stud  the  small  horse 
is  the  best."^'' 

The  experience  of  hunters,  explorers,  horsemen  and  campaign- 
ers will  be  unanimous  in  showing  that  small,  compact;  well-muscled 
horses  between  13.2-14.2  hands  high  are  those  on  which  reliance  can 
be  placed  for  hard,  continuous  work  on  scanty  food. 

Sir  Richard  Green  Price  speaking  of  many  years  experience  as 
a  cavalry  leader  remarks  that  "small  horses  will  beat  moderate 
horses  double  their  size  and  few  of  our  present  cavalry  horses  will 
live  with  them  in  a  campaign — they  are  more  easily  taught,  handled 
and  mounted  than  bigger  horses  and  with  twice  their  constitution 
and  thrice  their  sense.  "^® 


(13)  Compare:  Sir  Walter  Gilhey's  WorTcs. 

(14)  See  Scawen  Blunt  in  "Small  Horses  in  Warfare". 

(15)  Willia7n  Day  "  Ithe  Bace-Horse  in  Training." 

(16)  Bailey's  Magazine  in  "Small  Enr.tefi  in  Warfare". 

116 


In  these  days  of  motor  traffic  the  necessity  of  light  cavalry  of 
great  mobility  and  endurance  is  of  great  strategic  and  economic 
importance.  Cavalry  movements  can  be  accomplished  with  great 
rapidity  unhampered  by  the  usual  heavy  outfit  of  heavy  cavalry 
which  can  be  forwarded  by  motor  lorries.  In  attack  or  retreat  the 
small  horse  will  generally  serve  the  trooper  best. 

The  economy  for  our  breeders  lies  in  the  production  of  a  horse 
that  will  give  the  maximum  amount  of  usefulness  with  the  minimum 
amount  of  cost  of  production.  There  are  difficulties  in  the  way  in 
order  to  hit  tliis  "happy  medium"  and  not  the  least  will  be  the  care 
and  watchfulness  that  nuist  be  exercised  between  artificial  life  with 
its  attendant  evils  of  overgrowth,  pampering,  and  the  consequent 
delicacy  of  constitution  which  will  minimize  that  capacity  of  endur- 
ance, which  is  so  essential  and  the  free  natural  existence,  without  a 
spare  diet  and  reckless  exposure  to  extremes  of  climate  which  will 
check  the  growth.  This  type  of  horse  is  most  in  demand  under 
present  existing  conditions  and  will  form  the  best  foundation  stock 
where  an  increase  in  lieight  for  other  duties  ai'e  necessary.  To  breed 
for  increase  in  heiglit  witliout  keeping  up  some  artificial  system  or 
other  to  back  up  what  has  been  attained  by  artificial  means  is  to  invite 
inef^ciency  and  lieavy  mortalil}^  when  such  products  are  put  to 
work  under  natural  conditions ;  conditions  under  which  the  horse 
produced  on  lines  best  adapted  to  the  country  would  thrive  well. 

"The  sacrifice  of  useful  qualities  to  tlie  'god  of  inches'  is  de- 
plored only  in  so  far  as  it  applies  to  the  average  trooper,"  con- 
cludes Sir  Walter;  and  with  us  it  would  apply  to  the  general  pur- 
pose horse  as  well.  "The  utility  of  large  and  powerful  horses  has 
never  been  questioned ;  but  they  can  no  more  do  the  work  or  spec- 
ial tasks  of  ponies,  hardened  by  natural  conditions,  than  they  can 
fly.  For  all-round  farm  work  the  well-bred,  veld-hardened  horse  of 
14,2  hands  is  unsurpassable. ' ' 

,  With  the  eye  on  the  future  when  the  ox  is  bred  for  beef  and  the 
ass  has  become  too  slow  and  the  mule  not  half  so  economic  as  the 
good  horse,  these  remarks  well  merit  the  best  attention  of  breeders 
throughout  the  Union. 


117 


CONCLUSIONS. 

That  the  Cape  Horse  is  not  recognized  as  a  breed  of  its  own, 
need  not  reflect  to  the  discredit  of  the  stock;  for  a  breed  of  live 
stock  is  not  of  itself  an  end  but  a  means  to  an  end.  That  end  is 
tiie  yielding  of  a  product  that  will  give  the  maximum  value  at  a 
minimum  cost, — to  raise  such  animals  as  would  be  best  fitted  to  the 
natural  conditions  of  the  country  and  would  be  most  profitable 
under  the  conditions  of  rearing,  feeding  and  selling  which  prevail 
in  the  particular  locality.  These  were  the  aims  of  the  founders  of 
the  Africander  cattle  and  the  Cape  Horse.  These  "  voortrekkers " 
achieved  great  success  because  they  realized  the  particular  needs  of 
their  time  and  produced  such  types  and  fixed  such  characters  as 
these  needs  demanded. 

Times  change  and  evolution  is  continuous,  both  in  our  markets 
and  in  our  systems  of  agriculture  and  stock  raising.  It  is  quite 
clear  that  we  cannot  cling  to  the  standards  of  the  founders  of  our 
live  stock,  however  good  they  may  have  been  in  their  own  times 
and  for  their  own  needs  New  standards  and  new  types  are  neces- 
sary to  cope  with  new  demands.  For  this  purpose  no  hard  and  fast 
rules  can  be  laid  down. 

It  is  quite  obvious  that  in  South  Africa  with  its  several  locali- 
ties of  different  climate,  vegetation  and  occupations,  would  require 
live  stock  of  different  qualities  and  standards. 

These  types  will  have  many  fundamental  points  in  common  and 
will  vary  only  in  dissimilar  ideas  of  efficiency  and  suitability  both 
as  regards  the  nature  of  their  uses  and  conditions  of  rearing  them. 
This  fact  is  only  too  well  illustrated  by  the  various  breeds  and  types 
of  farm  animals  in  European  countries.  The  farmers  appear  to 
have  found  what  marketable  articles  they  can  produce  especially 
well.  In  some  cases  it  is  early  lambs,  in  others  mature  mutton  or 
baby  beef,  or  again  it  may  be  cereals,  forage  crops  or  vegetables. 
The  recognition  of  these  facts  have  been  the  cause  of  the  production 
of  the  several  types  of  farm  animals,  now  perfected  and  established 
into  distinct  breeds.  The  maximum  value  at  a  minimum  cost  is  the 
underlying  principle  here. 

Since  we  cannot  see  too  far  ahead  we  are  safest  in  setting  our 

lis 


standards  fully  abreast  of  the  times  and  prepare  ourselves  to  make 
such  modifications  as  the  future  may  necessitate. 

The  way  to  improA'ement  of  farm  animals  is  only  to  be  pursued 
by  slow  and  studied  steps  and  is  a  process  of  many  methods  which 
may  be  either  highly  beneficial  or  harmful. 

Besides  the  fundamental  forces  underlying  all  breeding  such 
as,  heredity,  variation  and  their  attendant  phases,  there  are  others 
M'liich  are  within  the  control  of  man  and  systen)atiscd  into  different 
systems  of  breeding.  These  systems  will  (lejjend  on  the  purpose 
and  circumstances  of  tlie  breeder.  If  he  is  a  breeder  of  pure-bred 
stock  his  system  and  material  will  be  different  to  that  of  a  breeder 
of  unimproved  stock. 

Grading  is  probably  the  most  common  systerii  of  breeding.  It 
consists  in  the  mating  of  unimproved  animals  with  highly  improved 
ones.  Generally  the  improved  animals  are  the  sires  and  if  they  are 
the  best  of  their  breed  improvement  is  rapid.  A  convincing  ex- 
ample is  the  importation  of  a  batch  of  high  class  stallions  in  1811 
and  after  by  Lord  Charles  Somerset.  The  improvement  was  most 
remarkable,  all  the  more  so,  since  the  mares  also  possessed  very  good 
breeding. 

Cross-breeding  is  another  system  which  consists  in  crossing  in- 
dividuals of  different  fixed  breeds  in  the  hope  of  combining  desir- 
able qualities  of  both  parents  and  eliminating  the  undesirable  char- 
acters. As  often,  however,  the  undesirable  qualities  are  propogated 
in  the  off-spring  and  he  is  a  nondescript  product  that  will  not  breed 
arue  to  the  type — how  could  he  for  his  parents  were  unlike. 

In  horse-breeding,  cross-breeding  is  an  uncertain  undertaking 
although  it  has  decided  advantages  in  animals  bred  for  the  market. 
Cross-bred  animals  often  have  a  vigor  and  robustness  greater  than 
either  parent.  These  qualities  give  a  considerable  economy  in  the 
production  of  a  market  carcass. 

Without  going  into  further  detail  on  the  other  systems  of  breed- 
ing such  as  in-  and  out-breeding  it  can  safely  be  said  that  in  estab- 
lishing a  type  selection  is  an  all-important  factor.  In  a  sense  it  is 
true  that  all  breeding  is  entirely  based  upon  the  single  principle  of 
selection ;  if  the  selections  are  right  the  desired  results  must  follow. 

Some  of  our  most  experienced  breeders  have  been  most  wary 
in  expressing  definite  suggestions  in  improving  our  horse  stock. 
The  previous  pages  show  that  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  exists  on 
this  matter. 

119 


It  seems,  however,  that  through  the  centuries  our  horse  breed- 
ers have  made  use  of  grading  mostly — they  bred  from  improved  and 
pure-bred  stallions  because  their  brood  mares  were  not  of  a  fixed 
breed  although  possessing  some  breeding. 

In  1830-50  when  South  Africa  furnished  remounts  to  the  Brit- 
ish army  in  India,  the  type  of  horse  that  gained  so  much  fame  and 
that  represented  the  highest  stage  of  development  of  the  Cape  Horse 
was  an  improved  grade  from  Cape  mares  with  some  of  the  best 
Thoroughbreds — a  type  of  sire  that  is  growing  scarcer  to-day  and 
then  was  of  superior  muscular  development  and  greater  weight  car- 
rying powers  as  proved  by  the  fact  that  several  of  the  sires  then 
imported  were  the  sons  of  the  sires — the  Hark-aways,  the  Pretenders 
and  the  Bellfounders — which  largely  contributed  to  the  foundation 
and  establishment  of  the  Hackney. 

The  Cape  Horse  owes  his  best  qualities  to  the  Arab  and  Thor- 
oughbred; but  even  as  the  Arab  of  to-day  is  unable  to  impart  or 
even  possess  many  of  the  good  qualities  possessed  by  the  breeds  that 
are  mainly  indebted  to  him  for  what  they  are — the  steed  of  the 
Thoroughbred,  the  additional  qualities  and  size  of  the  American 
Saddler  and  the  weight  of  the  Percheron — even  so  the  Thorough- 
bred in  his  turn  will  also  become  useless  for  the  breeds  he  has  im- 
proved and  established,  except  where  he  is  selected  with  many  re- 
strictions as  to  weight-carrying  powers,  conformation  and  muscular 
development. 

In  view  of  all  these  difficulties  the  government  and  great  breed- 
ers should  come  to  adopt  more  definite  and  rigid  measures  as  re- 
gards our  horse  breeding. 

Great  authorities  from  European  and  other  countries,  to  name 
one,  Mr.  Alfred  West,  the  great  Irish  judge,  can  not  speak  too  high- 
ly of  the  wonderful  opportunities  as  afforded  by  climate,  pastures 
and  other  economic  facilities  of  South  Africa  in  producing  a  horse, 
and  large  numbers  too,  second  to  no  other. 

The  future  ,  now  more  than  ever  before,  holds  the  greatest  op- 
portunities for  us.  The  Cape  to  Cairo  railway  will  bring  us  nearer 
the  world's  greatest  markets  and  we  know  that  we  can  produce  bet- 
ter horses  than  India  and  Australia  for  we  have  everything  in  our 
favor. 

We  need  have  no  fear,  the  best  economists  and  stock  raisers 
tell  us,  that  motor  traffic  will  ever  make  the  horse  useless.     The 

120 


increase  of  population  and  wealth  resulting  from  civilization  and 
modern  inventions  all  tend  in  the  long  run  to  increase  the  demand 
for  good  horses  both  for  use  and  pleasure. 

Glancing  at  the  history  of  the  various  countries  we  find  the 
horse  stock  has  increased  tremendously  in  spite  of  increaesing  motor 
traffic.  The  horse-stock  of  the  United  States — the  nest  of  automo- 
biles and  motor  lorries — is  becoming  more  valuable  year  by  year ; 
it  is  more  valuable  now  that  either  its  herds  of  cattle  or  cereal 
crops  and  these  are  gigantic  sources  of  wealth. 

To  regain  the  old  and  Lost  glories  for  our  horses  we  must  fol- 
low more  rigid  and  definite  lines.  All  noh-descript  stallions  must 
be  done  away  with,  and  others  must  l)e  either  subsidised  or  author- 
ized by  the  government. 

We  must  make  absolutely  sure  to  breed  from  first  class  stal- 
lions whether  they  he  Thoroughbreds,  Arabs  or  even  Standard-bred 
and  American  Saddlers.  The  latter  two  breeds  will  give  us  as 
great  satisfaction  as  any  other  and  if  our  ancestors  could  import 
good  sires  from  this  country  in  small  sailing  vessels  there  is  cer- 
tainly no  prohibitive  difficulties  to-day. 

With  good  sires,  intelligent  grading  and  selection  and  an  effi- 
cient government  control  we  will  soon  have  every  great  market  of 
the  world  open  to  us  and  if  we  reproduce  the  famous  Hantamer  type 
of  1850  with  certain  improvements  we  need  not  fear  any  competi- 
tion from  any  country. 

These  remarks  refer  to  driving,  riding  and  cavalry  horses  and 
are  backed  up  by  the  greatest  authorities.  In  breeding  for  draft 
purposes  we  seem  to  have  greater  difficulties.  The  best  experts 
are  convinced  that  the  pure  draft  breed  will  never  be  quite  a  success 
in  South  Africa ;  but  we  can  certainly  produce  a  heavier  animal  for 
our  agricultural  needs  and  mainly  to  capture  the  market  for  draft 
animals  in  our  own  cities. 

In  the  grading  of  our  horse  stock  there  are  mares  that  are  of 
a  decided  draft  type.  If  these  are  bred  to  well-selected  and  not  too 
heavy  draft  stallions  we  will  get  a  fairly  fine  draft  animal. 

There  is  probably  no  better  stallion  for  this  purpose  than  the 
Percheron.  Owing  the  larger  amount  of  his  blood  to  Oriental  sires 
and  being  obtainable  in  three  grades — light,  medium  and  heavy 
with  the  same  characters  and  breeding  true  to  type —  he  should 
with  careful  selection  be  an  ideal  if  not  the  best  sire  to  breed  with 

121 


our  heavy  mares  and  produce  a  good  draft  animal.  Posi^essmg 
all  the  good  qualities  of  any  other  draft  breed  he  has  in  addition 
better  feet  and  his  limbs  and  pasterns  are  free  from  coarse  hair. 
His  temperament  too,  is  decidedly  preferable  to  that  of  other  draft 
breeds.  He  is  by  far  the  most  desirable  draft  horse  in  the  United 
States. 

In  breeding  for  draft  purposes  the  aim  should  be  to  make  com- 
pactness or  form,  symmetry,  sound  limbs  and  feet  and  supple  action 
supply  the  want  of  weight  and  bulk. 

In  conclusion  a  few  imperative  hints  to  our  horse-breeders  in 
general  will  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Grading  with  careful  selection  will  establish  the  type  that  is 
aimed  at.  Even  pure-bred  animals  of  the  same  breed  will  vary  in 
type.  Study  the  brood  mares — keep  a  Stock  Register — and  breed 
tlie  mares  to  the  stallions  best  suited  to  their  type. 

Quality  is  always  better  than  quantity  and  economy  better 
than  extravagance.  A  few  well-bred,  well-fed  colts  are  more  valu- 
able than  a  nondescript,  half-starved  mob.  What  a  colt  has  lost 
during  foadhood  can  never  be  regained — their  mothers  can  help 
pay  their  keep  and  feed  during  foalhood  by  being  worked  moder- 
ately. 

Be  interested  in  the  horse-world  and  live  stock  in  general. 
Send  your  sons  to  one  of  the  Agricultural  Colleges  even  if  it  is 
for  one  term  only.  The  Vacation  or  Special  Courses  will  also  be 
highly  beneficial  to  older  men — one  never  grows  too  old  to  learn. 


122 


V^3i&^Gr  fmii^  Library  c^  Vetefw^ry  Wi^Mm 

200  Westboro  RoQCt 
4f)rth  Grafton.  WA  OtM 


